Understanding Treatment Decision Making Among Patients with Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

For many patients, decision-making surrounding cancer treatment can be a confusing and complicated process that is undertaken during a time of heightened distress. For stage II or III colorectal cancer (CRC), the initial treatment, surgery for colon cancer and surgery plus radiation for rectal cancer, may be made with little need to engage actively in the decision-making process because it is the commonly accepted first step in treatment. However, following initial treatment, the decisions of whether to undergo adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) are more complex. There are various potential factors that are influencing patients’ treatment decision-making, which can lead to decreased uptake of recommended therapeutic options (i.e., AC). Thus, the three primary goals of this project are, (1) to gain a greater understanding of the primary informal caregiver’s influence on patient’s treatment decision-making, (2) to investigate sociodemographic disparities in CRC treatment decision-making, and (3) to better understand the relationship between the provider-patient dynamic and patient treatment decision making. This project has a prospective, longitudinal design that will employ mixed methodologies. Patients (n=60) will be followed over four total data collection points beginning pre-surgery to approximately 3-4 weeks into treatment (for those patients who ultimately seek treatment) for a total time of 3 months (ending in November 2015). Results from this study will help us gain a better understanding of how patients and families make medical decisions. This insight can then inform the development of effective treatment decision aids to help patients and caregivers make more informed decisions about their care.