Patient preferences for interferon alfa in multiple myeloma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Hematology
• Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

• Interferon alfa offers marginal survival benefits in multiple myeloma but incurs toxicity and cost.
• Understanding patient preferences is crucial for shared decision-making, especially when patients cannot actively participate.
• Physician guidance requires knowledge of patient values regarding treatment outcomes and side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To ascertain patient preferences for interferon alfa treatment in multiple myeloma.
• To gather data facilitating medical decision-making by understanding patient values.
• To inform clinical practice regarding the acceptability of interferon alfa therapy.

Main Methods:

• Telephone interviews with 355 multiple myeloma patients across the United States.
• Presentation of potential benefits (remission rate, duration, survival gains) and risks (toxicity, cost, self-injection) of an unidentified treatment.
• Multivariate regression analysis to identify characteristics of patients accepting or rejecting the treatment.

Main Results:

• Approximately 50% of patients accepted the unidentified treatment if it offered at least a 6-month gain in remission or overall survival.
• Patients who accepted were younger and more likely to have prior interferon exposure.
• 25-50% of patients who initially rejected the treatment would accept it if benefits increased to 12 months.

Conclusions:

• Interferon therapy, and similar treatments, are acceptable to about half of multiple myeloma patients when a 6-month survival benefit is anticipated.
• Patient acceptance is dose-dependent on the magnitude of survival gains.
• Patient preferences significantly influence the perceived value of cancer treatments.