Decision-making around (dis)continuation of targeted therapies v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
DECIDE: Exploring decision-making around (dis)continuation of targeted and immuno-therapies in advanced cancer
IRAS ID
325145
Contact name
Linda Sharp
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 28 days
Research summary
A decade ago, people diagnosed with advanced skin cancer (melanoma) usually died quite quickly. Nowadays, they have the opportunity to have new cancer drug treatments. These new treatments have massively improved survival but do cause side-effects that can affect day-to-day life. Some patients respond so well to these treatments that cancer can no longer be seen on any scans or tests. This has been the case in other advanced disease. However, we do not know what will happen if these patients stop taking the treatment. This presents patients and their doctors with a problem – how to decide whether to continue or stop the treatment. This is a new problem in cancer treatment – and this study will investigate it. We will interview 20 patients, and conduct focus groups with healthcare professionals in the field, to find out what they think about both stopping and continuing treatment. Patients and staff from all cancer tumour sites will be invited to take part. We will explore what patients believe about cancer and its treatment, what they would take into account in making this decision, and how they weigh up risks and benefits. The results will help cancer doctors nurses, pharmacists, and others when they discuss options with patients. We will also use the results to apply for further funding to develop a “tool” to help patients make these difficult decisions in future.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SW/0128
Date of REC Opinion
23 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion