Lead investigators: Mary Politi, Jamie L Studts, Margaret M Byrne
Cancer clinical trials (CCTs) are a treatment option for many cancer patients, are essential for development and validation of new cancer treatments, and may lead to improved cancer outcomes. However, patients are not always well informed and may have persistent misconceptions about trial participation. As a result, patients may not be making well-informed decisions about participation; and this may be worse for minority cancer patients.
In our CHOICES research, we have developed Spanish and English-language decision aids with the aim of improving patient decision making regarding participation in CCTs. The CHOICES DAs are based on our KEV (Knowledge, Empowerment, Values Clarification) model of improving decision making in CCT. Our work to date has shown that the CHOICES DAs are effective in improving decision preparedness, are highly acceptable to patients, and are feasible to introduce into a clinical setting.
PIs:
Mary Politi, PhD
Dr. Politi’s primary research interests include health communication and shared decision-making. Her work helps patients and the public understand health information, explore what is important to them when making health decisions, and collaborate to make evidence-informed decisions that meet their needs. She also trains health care professionals, public health advocates, and members of the public interested in shared decision-making and patient engagement. Dr. Politi’s research includes a focus on reducing health disparities by engaging communities with unmet health needs and including them in both research and dissemination efforts. She works extensively with stakeholders to ensure her research is relevant to end users in clinical and community settings.
Learn more about her broader work here, or visit here to learn more about her ongoing work on informed consent.
Jamie Studts, PhD
Dr. Jamie L. Studts is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Scientific Director of Behavioral Oncology. Dr. Studts also serves as the Co-Leader for the Cancer Prevention and Control program and Co-Director of the Population Health Shared Resource at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dr. Studts is a licensed clinical health psychologist, and his interests address behavioral aspects of tobacco-related malignancies. His research develops and tests interventions to promote informed/shared decision making and behavior change among patients and clinicians regarding prevention, screening, and survivorship of lung and head/neck cancer. Dr. Studts is the Principal Investigator of the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative, and he previously served on the Institute of Medicine National Cancer Policy Forum addressing Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening. In 2019 he received the Centerstone Healthcare Advocacy award in recognition of his efforts to reduce the burden of lung cancer in Kentucky.
Collaborators:
Shannon Christy, PhD
Sarah Hawley, PhD, MPH
Aisha Langford, PhD
Alan Livingstone, MD
Swati Pathak, PhD (Co-PI of rural CHOICES project)
Sue Stableford MPH, MSB
Research Coordinators, Programmers, & Staff:
Veronica Barrios-Monroy
Colleen Bauza PhD, MPH
Harlee Bustamante, MS
Heraldo D’Almeida
Martha Gonzalez, MA
Phil Haubert, PhD
Stephanie Maestri, MPH
Dorothy Parker, MHS
Susan Schmitz, MS
Marsha S Stevens, MPH
Stacey Tannenbaum, PhD
Andrea Vinard, MS
Nicole Whitehead, PhD
Original Developers of the CHOICES Decision Aid
Publications:
Christy SM, Livingstone AS, Byrne MM. Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a decision aid versus an informational website to promote clinical trial decision-making among cancer patients: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Patient Educ Couns. 2022 May;105(5):1082-1088. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.08.037. Epub 2021 Sep 1. PMID: 34511283. [PubMed] [pdf]
Langford A, Studts JL, Byrne MM. Improving knowledge and decision readiness to participate in cancer clinical trials: Effects of a plain language decision aid for minority cancer survivors. Patient Educ Couns. 2021 Feb;104(2):422-426. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2020.07.005. Epub 2020 Jul 7. PMID: 32660742. [PubMed] [pdf]
Langford AT, Hawley ST, Stableford S, Studts JL, Byrne MM. Development of a Plain Language Decision Support Tool for Cancer Clinical Trials: Blending Health Literacy, Academic Research, and Minority Patient Perspectives. J Cancer Educ. 2020 Jun;35(3):454-461. doi: 10.1007/s13187-019-1482-5. PMID: 30739270; PMCID: PMC9575516. [PubMed] [pdf]
Politi MC, Kuzemchak MD, Kaphingst KA, Perkins H, Liu J, Byrne MM. Decision Aids Can Support Cancer Clinical Trials Decisions: Results of a Randomized Trial. Oncologist. 2016 Dec;21(12):1461-1470. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2016-0068. Epub 2016 Aug 10. PMID: 27511904; PMCID: PMC5153351. [PubMed] [pdf]
Byrne MM, Tannenbaum SL, Glück S, Hurley J, Antoni M. Participation in cancer clinical trials: why are patients not participating? Med Decis Making. 2014 Jan;34(1):116-26. doi: 10.1177/0272989X13497264. Epub 2013 Jul 29. PMID: 23897588. [PubMed] [pdf]
Byrne MM, Kornfeld J, Vanderpool R, Belanger M. Discussions of cancer clinical trials with the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service. J Health Commun. 2012;17(3):319-37. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2011.626500. Epub 2011 Dec 12. PMID: 22150169; PMCID: PMC4753796. [PubMed] [pdf]
Vanderpool RC, Kornfeld J, Mills L, Byrne MM. Rural-urban differences in discussions of cancer treatment clinical trials. Patient Educ Couns. 2011 Nov;85(2):e69-74. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2011.01.036. Epub 2011 Mar 31. PMID: 21458194; PMCID: PMC3162073. [PubMed] [pdf]
Morgan SE, Peng W, Occa A, Mao B, McFarlane S, Grinfeder G, Millet B, Byrne MM. Tailored Messages About Research Participation: Using an Interactive Information Aid to Improve Study Recruitment. J Cancer Educ. 2022 Feb;37(1):16-22. doi: 10.1007/s13187-020-01775-5. PMID: 32533538. [PubMed] [pdf]
Mao B, Morgan SE, Peng W, McFarlane SJ, Occa A, Grinfeder G, Byrne MM. What Motivates You to Share? The Effect of Interactive Tailored Information Aids on Information Sharing about Clinical Trials. Health Commun. 2021 Oct;36(11):1388-1396. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1754588. Epub 2020 Apr 28. PMID: 32345059; PMCID: PMC9680906. [PubMed] [pdf]
Peng W, Morgan SE, Mao B, McFarlane SJ, Occa A, Grinfeder G, Byrne MM. Ready to Make A Decision: A Model of Informational Aids to Improve Informed Participation in Clinical Trial Research. J Health Commun. 2019;24(12):865-877. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2019.1680773. Epub 2019 Oct 30. PMID: 31663824; PMCID: PMC9617566. [PubMed] [pdf]