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Gregory J. Riely, MD, PhD
Gregory J. Riely, MD, PhD
Posted: Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Manali I. Patel, MD, MPH, of Stanford University, California, and colleagues found that a volunteer-led intervention program for veterans with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) improved patient education regarding precision medicine and patient activation as compared with usual care alone. These findings were presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 1501).
This randomized, multilevel intervention study included veterans with a new diagnosis of any-stage NSCLC. All participants completed baseline assessments at randomization and at 1-month follow-up. The assessments comprised a 3-question validated precision medicine knowledge questionnaire and a 13-question validated patient activation measure. Genomic testing was assessed by chart review at 6-month follow-up. The primary endpoints were testing differences in mean knowledge and activation scores over times between groups and comparing rates of genomic testing.
Peer volunteers leading the intervention program provided tailored education of molecular testing for 1 month to veterans newly diagnosed with lung cancer. They also alerted clinicians via secure messaging as to whether tumor samples had not been tested.
Of the 75 veterans screened for the study, 46 were eligible and consented, with 23 in the intervention group and 23 in the usual-care group. All the veterans were male and had a mean patient age of 76.3; 32 veterans (69.6%) had stage IV NSCLC. Of them, 32 were White, 31 were Latinx, and 11 were Black.
At 1-month follow-up, mean knowledge scores increased over time in the intervention group and remained stable in the control group (mean score, 2.30 vs 1.16; P = .014). At 1-month follow-up, patient activation increased for the intervention group more than for the control group (46.7 vs 37.6; P = .002). The study authors found no significant differences in tumor testing between the groups (intervention, 95.6% vs control, 86.9%; P = .62).
Disclosure: Dr. Patel reported no conflicts of interest. For full disclosures of the other study authors, visit coi.asco.org.
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