BJU international
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Choice between prostatectomy and radiotherapy when men are eligible for both: a randomized controlled trial of usual care vs decision aid.
WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: Many patients are eligible for more than one treatment option for prostate cancer. In usual care, urologists have a large influence on the treatment choice. Decision aids, providing balanced information on the pros and cons of different treatment options, improve the match between patient preferences and treatment received. In men eligible for both surgery and external beam radiotherapy, treatment choice differed by hospital. Across the participating hospitals, the decision aid consistently led to fewer patients remaining undecided on their treatment preference and more patients choosing brachytherapy. ⋯ Traditionally, patient characteristics differ between surgery and radiotherapy groups, but not in this selected group of patients. Men eligible for both prostatectomy and radiotherapy mostly preferred prostatectomy, and the treatment choice was influenced by the hospital they visited. Giving patients evidence-based information, by means of a decision aid, led to an increase in brachytherapy.