Today’s news addresses the wide range of “predictive tools” now available to offer prognostic guidance in the management of prostate cancer and the ways in which personality affects treatment decision-making.
Shariat et al. have published a detailed compilation (a “catalog”) of over 100 predictive tools (e.g., tables, nomogram, etc.) described in publications through July 2007. Some 68 of these tools had been validated in some way or other. However, the authors conclude that more (and hopefully better) tools are still needed.
Orom et al. have addressed issues that affect the way patients come to their decisions about prostate cancer treatment options. It is well known that for some patients, the decision-making process can be extremely difficult, but there has been little attention given to patient characteristics and cognitive processes that might influence the difficulty of such decisions. This study investigated how things like the patient’s attitude to life in general (”dispositional optimism”) and self-confidence affect the decision-making process and satisfaction with that decision (as opposed to satisfaction with the outcome after treatment). The study was based on a survey of 125 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer completed after they had made their treatment decision, but prior to treatment. Perhaps not surprisingly, the authors found that men who are low in optimism may be at greater risk for treatment decision-making difficulty and lack of treatment decision-making satisfaction, in part, because they have lower confidence in their ability to make the decision compared with those who are more optimistic.
Filed under: Management, Treatment | Tagged: decision-making, nomogram, personality, Treatment
