Shared decision-making in ovarian cancer.

5549 Background: The value of shared decision-making in ovarian cancer is relatively unexplored. The goal of this study was to test a new decision aid, Patient Centered Outcome Aid (PCOA), that facilitates shared decision-making and helps ovarian cancer patients assimilate information and identify quality of life (QOL), toxicity and survival trade-offs between IP/IV therapy and IV therapy alone, based on their preferences and personal clinical characteristics. Methods: Participants were randomized to either PCOA (N=64) or usual care (N=59). Patient characteristics, QOL and shared decision-making data were collected at baseline and treatment initiation. Primary outcomes included satisfaction with treatment decision and decisional regret. Comparisons were made using t-tests and multivariate methods, adjusting for patient covariates. Multivariate linear models were used to investigate predictors of the primary outcomes. Results: Although satisfaction and decisional regret did not differ significantly by arm at any time point, the majority of PCOA patients indicated that the aid helped them understand treatment options and side effects. Notably, low shared decision-making and low QOL, were significant predictors of low satisfaction at treatment initiation (multiple r=0.76), six months (multiple r=0.48) and nine months (r=0.58). They were also significant predictors of decisional regret (multiple r=0.48 and 0.36 at 6 and 9 months). Patient covariates including age, stage, treatment and neoadjuvant status were not associated with differences in satisfaction or decisional regret. Conclusions: There were no clinically meaningful differences in satisfaction with the treatment decision, or decisional regret between the study arms. The absence of a difference may reflect the high degree of shared decision-making in both arms and greater disease severity in PCOA patients, who were more likely to report low baseline QOL and declining QOL over time. Both shared decision-making and quality of life were robust, independent predictors of satisfaction with the treatment decision over time. This implies that women who perceive themselves as less engaged in the decision process, and report poor QOL may benefit from a decision aid, in addition to physician counseling. Clinical trial information: NCT02259699.

Duke Scholars

Author Laura Jean Havrilesky Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gynecologic Oncology