Effect of receiving a customizable brochure on breast cancer patients' knowledge about their diagnosis and treatment: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Abstract Background Patients' lack of knowledge about their own disease may function as a barrier to shared decision‐making and well‐being. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of written educational materials on breast cancer patients. Methods This multicenter, parallel, unblinded, randomized trial included Latin American women aged ≥18 years with a recent breast cancer diagnosis yet to start systemic therapy. Participants underwent randomization in a 1:1 ratio to receive a customizable or standard educational brochure. The primary objective was accurate identification of molecular subtype. Secondary objectives included identification of clinical stage, treatment options, participation in decision‐making, perceived quality of information received, and illness uncertainty. Follow‐up occurred at 7–21 and 30–51 days post‐randomization. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05798312. Results One hundred sixty‐five breast cancer patients with a median age of 53 years and 61 days from diagnosis were included (customizable: 82; standard: 83). At first available assessment, 52%, 48%, and 30% identified their molecular subtype, disease stage, and guideline‐endorsed systemic treatment strategy, respectively. Accurate molecular subtype and stage identification were similar between groups. Per multivariate analysis, customizable brochure recipients were more likely to identify their guideline‐recommended treatment modalities (OR: 4.20,p = 0.001). There were no differences between groups in the perceived quality of information received or illness uncertainty. Customizable brochure recipients reported increased participation in decision‐making (p = 0.042). Conclusions Over one third of recently diagnosed breast cancer patients are incognizant of their disease characteristics and treatment options. This study demonstrates a need to improve patient education and shows that customizable educational materials increase patients' understanding of recommended systemic therapies according to individual breast cancer characteristics.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• Latin America
• patient education
• shared decision‐making
• written information