Cognitive Factors Influencing Treatment Decision-making in Patients with Localised Prostate Cancer: Development of a Standardised Questionnaire

Background: Men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer have to make a well-informed treatment choice between (robot-assisted) radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy and, in selected cases, brachytherapy and active surveillance. We developed and validated a questionnaire to determine the cognitive reasons motivating this choice.

Materials And Methods: The Prostate Cancer Decision-Making Questionnaire (PC-DMQ) was designed in-house and validated through the Delphi method. Finally, we tested the questionnaire in a cohort of 24 men, recently diagnosed with localised PC, before undergoing RARP (n = 16), EBRT (n = 6), brachytherapy (n = 1) or active surveillance (n = 1).

Results: The experts reached consensus after three rounds. In the patient cohort, 75% of men undergoing RARP chose this treatment because 'it provides the best chance of cure'. Reasons to choose EBRT were not as explicit: 33.3% chose this treatment because 'it provides the best chance of cure' and 33.3% because 'the maintenance of potency is important to them'.

Conclusions: The PC-DMQ is a comprehensive and standardised tool that allows further research into cognitive factors that influence treatment decision-making in patients with localised PC.