Some Patients With iNHL, MM May View Costs of Care as Most Important Factors 

Patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) or multiple myeloma (MM) may consider out-of-pocket economic costs of care as the single most important factor in treatment decision-making, according to research published in JCO Oncology Practice. Caregivers, however, may view treatment efficacy as the most important factor.

Decision-making for care in iNHL  or MM does not entirely depend on clinical efficacy. Other factors, such as cost and risk of adverse events, must be taken into account, and shared decision-making (SDM) with patients and their caregivers must entail full respect for their preferences and values. 

To explore further whether stakeholder views differ around care, researchers conducted a discreet choice experiment to determine how patients and caregivers rate different factors of clinical care in the iNHL and MM settings.

Overall, 199 patients with iNHL or MM and 169 caregivers were enrolled and took part in this SDM-focused study. Among patients, the mean age was 63.1 years, 56.3% of patients were male sex, 53.3% of patients had MM, 46.7% of patients had iNHL, and 68.8% of patients had received prior treatment.

Analysis of survey responses showed that patients viewed out-of-pocket costs (relative importance, 35%) as the single most important factor in treatment decision-making, followed by efficacy (25%), persistent side effects (19%), administration route (8%), treatment duration (7%), and short-term side effects (5%).

Among caregivers, efficacy (relative importance, 27%) was the most important factor, followed by out-of-pocket costs (24%). Patients and caregivers both indicated preferences for active roles in the SDM process, though caregivers also preferred a collaborative role.

“Open discussion of costs should be encouraged as cost concerns resonate with all societies, irrespective of their health care financing frameworks,” the authors wrote in their report. “In the long term, this would improve communication between stakeholders to personalize treatment, maintain value-based care, and improve health-related outcomes.”

Disclosures: Some study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.

Reference

Tan CJ, Tan MSY, Nagarajan C, et al. Factors affecting patient and caregiver preferences for treatment of myeloma and indolent. JCO Oncol Pract. Published online October 16, 2023. doi:10.1200/OP.23.00336

This article originally appeared on Hematology Advisor