Supplementary Material. Preferences of Adults with Cancer for Systemic Cancer Treatment: Do Preferences Differ based on Age?

Abstract

Background: We used Therapy Preference Scale, a 30-item questionnaire, to determine cancer treatment preferences of adults with cancer.

Methods: We used Wilcoxon’s Rank Sum Test and Fisher’s exact test to compare preferences of younger(<60years) versus older adults(≥60years).

Results: While 56% of patients would accept treatment offering increased life expectancy at an expense of short-term side-effects, 75% preferred maintenance of cognition, functional ability, and quality of life(QoL) to quantity of days. Oral instead of intravenous treatment(p=0.003), shorter hospital stay(p=0.03), preservation of cognitive function(p=0.01), and avoidance of pain(p=0.02) were more important to older patients compared to younger patients.

Conclusion: Many patients prioritized maintenance of cognition, functional ability, and QoL; older patients valued oral treatment, shorter hospital stay, preservation of cognitive function, and avoidance of pain.