Clinical trial · Interventional
Understanding and Addressing Patient and Provider Preferences Around Discussions of Cost of Breast Cancer Care
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The investigators hypothesize that many cancer patients desire discussions of cost as part of their care, but that preferences for having cost discussions with their physicians vary. Further, the investigators hypothesize that providers can introduce the topic of cost into clinical conversations in a balanced way and that this will improve shared decision making and patient uptake of offers of financial counseling which will lead to improved financial well-being, patient satisfaction with providers, and satisfaction with treatment decisions. Aim 1: Further understand patient preferences and attendant associations for cost discussions through a patient survey of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Aim 2: Study the influence of provider communication about cost on shared decision making, uptake of financial counseling, financial well-being and satisfaction through an intervention to encourage discussion of cost by breast cancer surgeons with subsequent referral to financial counseling.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer | Malignant Breast Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Discussion | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Control
- description
- The first 50 patients will have usual care with providers conducting the visit in their typical manner.
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Cost Discussion
- description
- The second group of 50 patients will be the intervention group where the providers will have a discussion of cost emphasizing five points: 1) Cancer care is expensive and it is normal to be concerned about cost. 2) We will recommend treatments for your cancer based on what we think gives you the best chance of doing well, not based on the cost of the treatment. 3) Because of how complex our healthcare system is, it is very hard for your doctors to know what your costs will be, but we will do our best to give you some general information. 4) We have resources available to help you get more specific information so that you can plan appropriately. 5) Do you have any specific concerns about cost that you'd like to share with me?
- interventionNames
- Other: Cost Discussion
Primary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 or older * All patients who present to Huntsman Cancer Hospital/University of Utah for a newly diagnosed breast cancer surgical consultation. Exclusion Criteria: * none
References
Publications (27)
- BACKGROUNDAltomare I, Irwin B, Zafar SY, Houck K, Maloney B, Greenup R, Peppercorn J. Physician Experience and Attitudes Toward Addressing the Cost of Cancer Care. J Oncol Pract. 2016 Mar;12(3):e281-8, 247-8. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2015.007401. Epub 2016 Feb 16. PMID 26883407
- BACKGROUNDShih YT, Chien CR. A review of cost communication in oncology: Patient attitude, provider acceptance, and outcome assessment. Cancer. 2017 May 15;123(6):928-939. doi: 10.1002/cncr.30423. Epub 2016 Nov 28. PMID 27893929
- BACKGROUNDFarina KL. The economics of cancer care in the United States. Am J Manag Care. 2012 Feb;18(1 Spec No.):SP38-9. No abstract available. PMID 22468873
- BACKGROUNDBullock AJ, Hofstatter EW, Yushak ML, Buss MK. Understanding patients' attitudes toward communication about the cost of cancer care. J Oncol Pract. 2012 Jul;8(4):e50-8. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2011.000418. Epub 2012 Feb 28. PMID 23180999
- BACKGROUNDIrwin B, Kimmick G, Altomare I, Marcom PK, Houck K, Zafar SY, Peppercorn J. Patient experience and attitudes toward addressing the cost of breast cancer care. Oncologist. 2014 Nov;19(11):1135-40. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2014-0117. Epub 2014 Oct 1. PMID 25273078
- BACKGROUNDKelly RJ, Forde PM, Elnahal SM, Forastiere AA, Rosner GL, Smith TJ. Patients and Physicians Can Discuss Costs of Cancer Treatment in the Clinic. J Oncol Pract. 2015 Jul;11(4):308-12. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2015.003780. Epub 2015 May 26. PMID 26015459
- BACKGROUNDHunter WG, Zafar SY, Hesson A, Davis JK, Kirby C, Barnett JA, Ubel PA. Discussing Health Care Expenses in the Oncology Clinic: Analysis of Cost Conversations in Outpatient Encounters. J Oncol Pract. 2017 Nov;13(11):e944-e956. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2017.022855. Epub 2017 Aug 23. PMID 28834684