CANCER-PATIENTS DECISION-MAKING AND TRIAL-ENTRY PREFERENCES - THE EFFECTS OF FRAMING INFORMATION ABOUT SHORT-TERM TOXICITY AND LONG-TERM SURVIVAL

The study purpose was to determine whether the framing of treatment in formation influenced patients' reported preferences for participating in treatment decision making and for trial entry. Ninety cancer patien ts read either neutrally-, positively-, or negatively-framed informati on about a chemotherapeutic treatment, then indicated their preference s for participating in the treatment decision, and whether they would participate in a clinical trial incorporating this protocol. There was no difference across information groups in preferences for participat ing in treatment decision making or willingness to enter such a clinic al trial. Preference for participation in treatment decision making wa s significantly related to age (t = 2.54; p = 0.022), sex (x2 = 3.89; p = 0.05), and education (t = 2.54; p = 0.018); trial entry preference s were unrelated to these demographic variables. These results imply t hat, in this clinical context, attitudes towards participation in trea tment decision making may be associated with characteristics of the pa tient, and attitudes towards trial entry may be dependent upon the cli nical characteristics of a particular trial, but neither set of attitu des is influenced by the framing of protocol information.