How important is the opinion of significant others to cancer patients' adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making?
OBJECTIVE
Decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy are difficult, since value tradeoffs are involved. Little is known about the importance of the significant others in patients' decision-making regarding adjuvant treatment. We surveyed patients with breast and colorectal cancer about the importance they assigned to the opinions of their significant others and assessed correlates of these importance scores.


METHODS
One hundred and twenty-three patients rated on a five-point scale how much they cared about the opinion of six significant others.


RESULTS
Most important was the opinion of their treating specialist, followed by that of their partner, children, other family, friends, and colleagues. Women assigned higher scores to the opinion of their children, younger patients to that of their specialist, and patients who were about to undergo chemotherapy to that of their family. Patients with breast cancer and patients without paid employment assigned slightly more importance to the opinion of their partner.


CONCLUSIONS
Information on the influence of significant others may help clinicians when involving patients in treatment decision-making and discussing patients' treatment preferences.
Stiggelbout
A M
AM
Department of Medical Decision Making, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300, Leiden, The Netherlands. A.M.Stiggelbout@lumc.nl
Jansen
S J T
SJ
Otten
W
W
Baas-Thijssen
M C M
MC
van Slooten
H
H
van de Velde
C J H
CJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003657:Decision Making; D004651:Employment; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012107:Research Design; D013038:Specialization; D018454:Spouses
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents