[Satisfaction with immunotherapy in patients with advanced cancer]

Patient satisfaction with cancer immunotherapy, which is not covered by health insurance in Japan, was evaluated among 65 patients with advanced cancer who had received immunotherapy in our hospital for 2 years. Satisfaction measures were based on patients' expectations for medical care, cost, and staff services, and involved a questionnaire consisting of 25 items. Results of the questionnaire analysis showed that most patients, who expected much of antigen-specific vaccination such as dendritic cells (DC) pulsed tumor-associated antigens, were dissatisfied with the high cost of private immunotherapy(i. e., not covered by medical insurance), and were unable to perceive the effectiveness of the treatment because there was no quantitative analysis of killer T cells induced by immunotherapy. Therefore, it is critically important for us to confirm the safety and efficiency of cancer immunotherapy, before introducing medical insurance for cancer patients in Japan. In addition, the quantitative measurement of killer T cells induced by DC peptide vaccines should be considered, to meet patients' expectations.