Developing and Testing a Low Literacy Spanish Language Shared Decision-Making Tool for Advanced Ovarian Cancer Maintenance Therapy
This clinical trial develops and tests a low literacy Spanish language shared decision-making tool to engage patients in decision making regarding ovarian cancer maintenance therapy. Most individuals with ovarian cancer (including fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer) that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) will recur despite an initial response to therapy; therefore, maintenance therapy is often used to lengthen time to recurrence. However, with unique side effect profiles and toxicities, modes of administration, and projected effectiveness, the decision whether or not to pursue maintenance therapy is becoming increasingly complex. It is essential that patients’ preferences play a key role in these difficult decisions, as some patients may value delaying recurrence of disease while others prefer minimization of treatment toxicities even if this results in a shorter recurrence-free interval. Language barriers can increase the difficulty in conveying complex medical options such as maintenance therapy and challenging concepts such as recurrence time intervals. Shared decision-making tools help educate patients about their diagnosis and treatment options. Developing and testing a shared decision-making tool for Spanish-speaking patients that increases patients’ informed decisions about maintenance therapy could help decrease therapy related disparities based on race and ethnicity.