Table 2.
Decision-making with physicians and with family members, stratified by age at diagnosis. Values in the table represent frequencies (column percentage).
| Age 21 to 40 N=148 |
Age 41 to 60 N=444 |
P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which statement best describes the role you would prefer to play when decisions about your treatment for your cancer are made? (N=584) | 0.80 | ||
| You prefer to make the decisions with little or no input from your doctors | 1(1) | 2 (0) | |
| You prefer to make the decisions after considering your doctor’s opinion | 53(36) | 140 (32) | |
| You prefer that you and your doctors make the decision together | 85(58) | 267 (61) | |
| You prefer that your doctors make the decisions after considering your opinion | 7(5) | 21 (5) | |
| You prefer your doctors make the decision with little or no input from you | 1(1) | 7 (2) | |
|
| |||
| Which statement best describes the role you played when the decision was made about chemotherapy? (N=501) | 0.36 | ||
| You made the decision with little or no input from your doctors | 5(4) | 5 (1) | |
| You made the decision after considering your doctors’ opinions | 56(41) | 147 (40) | |
| You and your doctors made the decision together | 53(39) | 163 (45) | |
| Your doctors made the decision after considering your opinion | 11(8) | 21 (6) | |
| Your doctors made the decision with little or no input from you | 11(8) | 29 (8) | |
|
| |||
| Relationship between preferred role in treatment decision-making and actual role in chemotherapy decision-making (N=499) | 0.24 | ||
| Patient more involved than desired | 28(21) | 68 (19) | |
| Patient held preferred role | 80(59) | 240 (66) | |
| Patient less involved than desired | 28(21) | 55 (15) | |
|
| |||
| How often did your doctors give you as much information as you wanted about your cancer treatments, including potential benefits and side effects? (N=587) | 0.30 | ||
| Always | 109(74) | 305 (69) | |
| Usually | 22(15) | 76 (17) | |
| Sometimes | 15(10) | 44 (10) | |
| Never | 1(1) | 15 (3) | |
|
| |||
| Which statement best describes the role that your family played when decisions about treatment for your cancer were made?1 | 0.21 | ||
| You made the decisions with little or no input from your family | 34(23) | 130 (30) | |
| You made the decisions after considering your family’s opinion | 35(24) | 101 (23) | |
| You and your family made the decisions together | 75(51) | 202 (46) | |
| Your family made the decisions after considering your opinion or with little or no input from you | 3(2) | 3 (1) | |
|
| |||
| How many children under the age of 18 are living in your household and are supported by your household income? | <0.001 | ||
| None | 59 (40) | 318 (72) | |
| 1 or more | 89 (60) | 126 (28) | |
1
Responses of “don’t know” or” refused” were given for 1 patient and “N/A (e.g. I don’t have any family)” for 4 patients, all age 41 to 60 at diagnosis.