Preferences for treatment outcomes in rectal cancer: A discrete choice experiment among patients and healthy volunteers

TY - JOUR

T1 - Preferences for treatment outcomes in rectal cancer

T2 - A discrete choice experiment among patients and healthy volunteers

AU - Miles, Anne

AU - Steele, Robert James Campbell

AU - Hutton, Gemma

AU - Morris, Stephen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Colorectal Disease published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

PY - 2025/2/9

Y1 - 2025/2/9

N2 - Aim Treatment for rectal cancer can leave patients with a permanent stoma or bowel dysfunction. In this work we aimed to examine preferences for treatment outcomes among people with and without rectal cancer. Method Our discrete choice experiment examined the effect of risk of cancer recurrence, presence of a stoma and bowel dysfunction on treatment preferences in 372 rectal cancer patients without a stoma, 269 with a stoma and 204 people without cancer. Results Predictors of treatment preferences differed significantly between all groups (p < 0.0001). Avoiding a stoma was more important to stoma-naïve groups, while avoiding bowel dysfunction was more important to those with superior function. Reducing the risk of recurrence was valued highly, and equally, across the groups. Conclusion Experience of a stoma or bowel dysfunction resulted in higher tolerance of those treatment outcomes. Hearing from patients living with different treatment outcomes could help prepare newly diagnosed patients, and facilitate informed decision-making where patients have a choice.

AB - Aim Treatment for rectal cancer can leave patients with a permanent stoma or bowel dysfunction. In this work we aimed to examine preferences for treatment outcomes among people with and without rectal cancer. Method Our discrete choice experiment examined the effect of risk of cancer recurrence, presence of a stoma and bowel dysfunction on treatment preferences in 372 rectal cancer patients without a stoma, 269 with a stoma and 204 people without cancer. Results Predictors of treatment preferences differed significantly between all groups (p < 0.0001). Avoiding a stoma was more important to stoma-naïve groups, while avoiding bowel dysfunction was more important to those with superior function. Reducing the risk of recurrence was valued highly, and equally, across the groups. Conclusion Experience of a stoma or bowel dysfunction resulted in higher tolerance of those treatment outcomes. Hearing from patients living with different treatment outcomes could help prepare newly diagnosed patients, and facilitate informed decision-making where patients have a choice.

KW - cancer

KW - choice behaviour

KW - low anterior resection syndrome

KW - ostomy

KW - patient preference

KW - psycho-oncology

KW - rectal cancer

KW - recurrence

KW - risk

KW - treatment outcome

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85217387558

U2 - 10.1111/codi.70021

DO - 10.1111/codi.70021

M3 - Article

C2 - 39924856

AN - SCOPUS:85217387558

SN - 1462-8910

VL - 27

JO - Colorectal Disease

JF - Colorectal Disease

IS - 2

M1 - e70021

ER -