title: Cancer patients' roles in treatment decisions: do characteristics of the decision influence roles?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with more active roles in decisions are more satisfied and may have better health outcomes. Younger and better educated patients have more active roles in decisions, but whether patients' roles in decisions differ by characteristics of the decision itself is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed a large, population-based cohort of patients with recently diagnosed lung or colorectal cancer about their roles in decisions regarding surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess whether characteristics of the decision, including evidence about the treatment's benefit, whether the decision was likely preference-sensitive (palliative therapy for metastatic cancer), and treatment modality, influenced patients' roles in that decision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 10,939 decisions made by 5,383 patients, 38.9% were patient controlled, 43.6% were shared, and 17.5% were physician controlled. When there was good evidence to support a treatment, shared control was greatest; when evidence was uncertain, patient control was greatest; and when there was no evidence for or evidence against a treatment, physician control was greatest (overall P < .001). Decisions about treatments for metastatic cancers tended to be more physician controlled than other decisions (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients making decisions about treatments for which no evidence supports benefit and decisions about noncurative treatments reported more physician control, which suggests that patients may not want the responsibility of deciding on treatments that will not cure them. Better strategies for shared decision making may be needed when there is no evidence to support benefit of a treatment or when patients have terminal illnesses that cannot be cured.
authors: Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. keating@hcp.med.harvard.edu
authors: Nancy L
authors: NL
authors: Keating
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Beth Landrum
authors: Neeraj K
authors: NK
authors: Arora
authors: Jennifer L
authors: JL
authors: Malin
authors: Patricia A
authors: PA
authors: Ganz
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: van Ryn
authors: Jane C
authors: JC
authors: Weeks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012380:Role; D014481:United States