Eliciting Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer Treatment Preferences Using Clinical Vignettes: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Innovation
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Traditional treatment for small differentiated thyroid cancers involves surgical resection.
• Active surveillance (AS) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are emerging alternatives.
• Understanding patient preferences is crucial for treatment decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient preferences for different thyroid cancer treatments.
• To compare preferences for thyroid lobectomy (TL), total thyroidectomy (TT), AS, and RFA.
• To assess the impact of treatment complications on patient choice.

Main Methods:

• Recruited thyroid cancer survivors and general population volunteers.
• Utilized experience-driven clinical vignettes to capture treatment preferences.
• Compared rankings of four treatments (TL, TT, AS, RFA) and six complications.

Main Results:

• Treatment complications were universally ranked lower than uncomplicated treatments.
• Active surveillance (AS) was the most preferred treatment, followed by RFA.
• Thyroid lobectomy (TL) was preferred over total thyroidectomy (TT); AS and RFA were preferred over surgery.

Conclusions:

• Clear communication of treatment options influences patient preferences.
• Patients may favor less invasive treatments like AS and RFA over traditional surgery.
• Findings support incorporating patient preferences into thyroid cancer management strategies.