Kikuchi Koyo, Segawa Takafumi, Oikawa Hirobumi, Ieko Yoshiro, Nakamura Ryuji, Ariga Hisanori
Department of Radiation Oncology, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, JPN.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Iwate Prefectural Central Hospital, Iwate, JPN.
Cureus. 2024 Oct 22;16(10):e72093. doi: 10.7759/cureus.72093. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Ultrahypofractionated (UHF) radiotherapy provides several treatment schedules, including five fractions per week (5/5-UHF), three fractions per week (3/5-UHF), and one fraction per week (1/5-UHF). This study aimed to assess patient preferences for these UHF radiotherapy schedules and offer insights to support patient-centered radiotherapy.
A questionnaire survey was conducted among cancer patients who had received at least 10 fractions of definitive or palliative radiotherapy, delivered on consecutive weekdays at our institution. The survey was administered during the final week of treatment and included four questions regarding the patients' living conditions and seven questions about their perceptions of radiotherapy, including preferences for UHF radiotherapy schedules.
Between April and July 2023, 71 eligible patients completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 65.2 years; 48 patients (68%) were male, and 36 patients (51%) were inpatients. Thirty-one patients (44%) traveled more than one hour to the hospital, and 34 patients (47%) reported stress from daily hospital visits for radiotherapy. In response to the question, "If you were to receive 5-fraction radiotherapy, would you choose 5/5-UHF, 3/5-UHF, or 1/5-UHF?" 64 patients responded. Among these, 27 (42%) chose 5/5-UHF, 19 (30%) chose 3/5-UHF, and 18 (28%) chose 1/5-UHF. Regarding the question, "Which is more important: a shorter treatment period with the same fractionation or reduced fractionation with the same treatment period?" 31 patients (48%) prioritized shorter treatment periods, while 12 (19%) preferred reduced fractionation. Although approximately half of the patients expressed distress from consecutive days of radiotherapy, the shortest treatment period was generally preferred, even if it involved consecutive sessions. The 1/5-UHF radiotherapy schedule was particularly popular among younger male patients, those with longer travel times, and those working full-time.
These findings suggest that tailoring radiotherapy schedules to patients' social circumstances may enhance overall satisfaction with treatment.
超分割放疗提供了几种治疗方案，包括每周五次分割（5/5-UHF）、每周三次分割（3/5-UHF）和每周一次分割（1/5-UHF）。本研究旨在评估患者对这些超分割放疗方案的偏好，并提供见解以支持以患者为中心的放疗。
对在我们机构连续工作日接受至少10次根治性或姑息性放疗的癌症患者进行问卷调查。该调查在治疗的最后一周进行，包括四个关于患者生活状况的问题和七个关于他们对放疗看法的问题，包括对超分割放疗方案的偏好。
2023年4月至7月期间，71名符合条件的患者完成了问卷。平均年龄为65.2岁；48名患者（68%）为男性，36名患者（51%）为住院患者。31名患者（44%）前往医院的行程超过一小时，34名患者（47%）报告因每日前往医院接受放疗而感到压力。对于问题“如果您要接受5次分割的放疗，您会选择5/5-UHF、3/5-UHF还是1/5-UHF？”，64名患者做出了回应。其中，27名（42%）选择5/5-UHF，19名（30%）选择3/5-UHF，18名（28%）选择1/5-UHF。对于问题“哪个更重要：相同分割次数下更短的治疗周期还是相同治疗周期下更少的分割次数？”，31名患者（48%）优先选择更短的治疗周期，而12名（19%）则更喜欢更少的分割次数。尽管约一半的患者表示连续放疗的日子让他们感到困扰，但即使这意味着连续疗程，最短的治疗周期通常仍是首选。1/5-UHF放疗方案在年轻男性患者、行程时间较长的患者和全职工作的患者中尤其受欢迎。
这些发现表明，根据患者的社会情况调整放疗方案可能会提高对治疗的总体满意度。
