Table 2.

Excerpt of analysis from one patient's ROAM/EORTC‐1308 consultation, applying argumentation theory

Coded argument	For or against trial	Argument initiated by	Example quote
Radiotherapy might reduce risk of meningioma recurrence	For	Health professional	“Sometimes we have used radiotherapy in the thought that that would help.”
Radiotherapy has side effects	Against	Health professional	“Radiotherapy is a treatment that has side effects… it can make you feel a bit headache‐y… you would lose a bit more hair in the areas that we treat.”
We don't have evidence to say radiotherapy will work	Both	Health professional	“But we've not got definite evidence that radiotherapy works to keep it away.”
You'll receive excellent support in the trial	For	Health professional	“So either way you're going to be closely monitored and either way you're gonna get regular scans.”
You will help us to inform future treatment	For	Health professional	“It's just trying to help us answer the question about how much benefit radiotherapy gives now versus having it at a later date.”
I would prefer to have radiotherapy now	For	Patient	“So to just be monitored and see if does comes back, then six months down the line to have to… that's not what I really want.”
It would be unethical to offer radiotherapy outside the trial	Both	Health professional	“We don't tend to offer radiotherapy up front if they're not in the trial because we don't think there's a proven benefit. So for me to offer it outside the trial would be, I think, not ethical.”
If you're interested in radiotherapy, you should consider the trial	For	Health professional	“I think if you were interested in exploring, having radiotherapy at all, then I think you should have a think about the trial and whether you want to go into it.”
The trial might be too much for you	Against	Health professional	“If you think that with everything you've had going on… that the trial is a bit too much for you… then we would say, we could draw a line…”
Active monitoring is your best option outside of the trial	Against	Health professional	“[The tumor is] all out and the risk of recurrence is less than half, so we would feel that your best bet is to have a very close observation…”
You need time to think before you decide	Against or unclear	Health professional	“You don't have to make a decision today… if you're even just wanting to consider it and go away and have a think…”