Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of Patient Characteristics, Pretreatment Expectations, Participatory Decision-Making (PDM) Style, Treatment Modality, Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs), and Treatment Regret.

This conceptual framework highlights that patients’ baseline characteristics influence pretreatment expectations of prostate cancer treatment. These expectations, along with PDM style (measured using the participatory decision-making tool) and tumor characteristics, drive the selection of treatment modality. Treatment modality, along with baseline functional status, is associated with posttreatment functional outcomes. The combination of treatment modality, mediated by functional status, pretreatment expectations, and social support, is hypothesized to account for treatment-related regret among patients with prostate cancer.