Empowering Patients through Education: Exploring Patients' Needs about Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre

Abstract Introduction There is currently no consensus regarding the optimal treatment for postprostatectomy prostate cancer patients. The primary objective of this study was to investigate patient opinions regarding the questions that should be discussed between health care professionals and postprostatectomy patients who may require radiation therapy with adjuvant or salvage intent, to help facilitate the decision-making process. Methods Patients who were consulted for treatment of prostate cancer at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre and who had undergone a prostatectomy were invited to complete a survey. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of 74 questions that may be important to patients in their situation using a four-point ordinal scale (essential, important, no opinion, and avoid). Questions were grouped into six domains pertaining to diagnosis, decision making, radiation therapy procedures, benefits, side effects, and supportive network. Patients were also asked to list any other additional comments or questions that should be included. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables of interest. Chi-square analyses and Fisher exact tests were used to assess differences in numbers of patients choosing the essential response between demographics. Results Thirty-one patients agreed to participate and completed the survey. The majority of questions rated as essential or important by patients were from the “understanding my situation and prostate cancer diagnosis” domain, accounting for over 90% of patients. Overall, patients who were over 60, white, had an education of high school or less, and lived more than 10 km away from the cancer centre were more likely to have rated these questions as “important” or “essential.” A few additional comments were also listed regarding side effects, prostate-specific antigen levels, further testing, and radiation therapy treatment. Conclusions Our study showed that there is wide variability among patients regarding the information that they want and need. Every question in our study was essential to some patients, and there was no question deemed so by the whole group. The information from the study will help in building an educational tool for postprostatectomy patients with prostate cancer and their families.