Patient Preferences for Lung Cancer Interception Therapy.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Interception therapy aims to prevent future medical events but its acceptance among high-risk individuals for lung cancer is largely unknown.
• Understanding patient preferences is crucial for developing effective lung cancer interception strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the preferences of individuals at high risk for lung cancer regarding potential interception therapies.
• To assess their willingness to undergo treatment to reduce lung cancer risk.

Main Methods:

• A discrete-choice experiment survey was conducted online with US adults aged 50-80 years with a significant smoking history, eligible for lung cancer screening.
• Participants evaluated hypothetical interception treatments based on attributes like risk reduction, and severity of side effects (injection site reactions, serious infections, death).
• Attribute-level preference weights were estimated to calculate importance, maximum acceptable risks, and minimum acceptable benefits.

Main Results:

• Most respondents (83.9%) were willing to consider interception therapy, prioritizing lung cancer risk reduction above all else.
• Participants indicated acceptable trade-offs between increased risks of nonfatal or fatal serious infections and significant reductions in lung cancer risk.
• Individuals unwilling to accept therapy were more likely to be older, current smokers, and less likely to have received COVID-19 or skin cancer screenings.

Conclusions:

• The majority of high-risk individuals for lung cancer express willingness to consider interception therapies.
• These findings underscore the importance of conducting thorough benefit-risk assessments for future lung cancer interception treatments.
• Patient preferences should guide the development and implementation of novel preventive strategies for lung cancer.