Patient preferences for reducing toxicities of treatments for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)

Figures & data

Figure 1 Example of a trade-off question with adherence rating follow-up question.

Table 1 Sample demographic characteristics

Characteristic	Statistic or category	Subjects N = 173
Gender	Male	84 (48.6%)
	Female	89 (51.4%)
Age	Mean (SD)	56.6 (12.8)
Marital status	Married	129 (74.6%)
	Widowed	7 (4.0%)
	Divorced or separated	14 (8.1%)
	Single	18 (10.4%)
	Other	5 (2.9%)
Racial or ethnic group	White/caucasian	160 (92.5%)
	Asian	9 (5.2%)
	Hispanic/latino	2 (1.2%)
	Native American	3 (1.7%)
Country of residence	United States	138 (79.8%)
	Canada	9 (5.2%)
	United Kingdom	9 (5.2%)
	Australia	1 (0.6%)
	Other	16 (9.2%)
Education	High school or secondary school certificate or equivalent	15 (8.7%)
	4-year college or university degree (eg, BA, BS, BSc) or less, but more than high school or secondary school certificate or equivalent	87 (50.3%)
	More than a 4-year college or university degree	71 (41.0%)
Employment status	Employed	83 (48.0%)
	Homemaker	7 (4.0%)
	Student	1 (0.6%)
	Retired	60 (34.7%)
	Other	22 (12.7%)

Table 2 GIST treatment experience

Characteristic	Statistic or category	Subjects N = 173
Current Health Rating (0 = worst, 100 = best)	Mean (SD)	74.3 (20.6)
Time since diagnosis	Less than 6 months ago	5 (2.9%)
	At least 6 months ago, but less than 1 year ago	14 (8.1%)
	At least 1 year, but less than 2 years ago	19 (11.0%)
	At least 2 years, but less than 5 years ago	49 (28.3%)
	At least 5 years ago	86 (49.7%)
Had surgery to treat GIST	Yes	151 (87.3%)
	No	22 (12.7%)
Currently taking medicine to treat GIST	Yes	139 (80.3%)
How do you receive your GIST medicine?	Pills	138 (99.3%)
	Both pills and IV medicine	1 (0.7%)
Experienced Toxicities	Water retention and swelling	118 (68.2%)
	Diarrhea	112 (64.7%)
	Nausea	83 (48.0%)
	Feeling tired	141 (81.5%)
	Skin rash	76 (43.9%)
	Redness and sores on hands and feet	39 (22.5%)
	Heart trouble	27 (15.6%)
	Hospitalized from serious infection	15 (8.7%)
	Missing	1 (0.06%)
Who do you turn to when you have toxicities from your GIST medicine? (Multiple responses were possible.)	My GIST doctor (a specialist)	150 (86.7%)
	My regular doctor (primary care physician)	42 (24.3%)
	A nurse	15 (8.7%)
	A pharmacist	6 (3.5%)
	Another specialist (such as a dermatologist)	12 (6.9%)
	Other people with GIST	52 (30.1%)
	Other	24 (13.9%)
	None of the above	3 (1.7%)

Abbreviations: GIST, gastrointestinal stromal tumors; SD, standard deviation.

Table 3 GIST treatment adherence experience

Characteristic	Statistic or category	Subjects N = 173
About how often would you say you miss or skip a dose of your GIST medicine?	Never	92 (53.2%)
	Less than once per month	51 (29.5%)
	Between 2 and 5 times per month	21 (12.1%)
	More than 5 times per month	6 (3.5%)
	Missing	3 (1.7%)
Which of the following statements describes the reasons you might miss or skip doses of your GIST medicines? (Check all that apply.)	N	78
	I sometimes stop taking my GIST medicine when I am sick with another illness such as a stomach illness or the flu.	24 (30.8%)
	I take a lot of medicines every day, and it can be difficult to keep track of them.	6 (7.7%)
	I sometimes forget to take my medicines because I am busy working, taking care of children, or participating in other activities.	36 (46.2%)
	I do not take my GIST medicine when I have things to do (such as traveling or working) so that the toxicities will not interfere with these activities.	15 (19.2%)
	I sometimes don’t think the medicine is working well, so it isn’t worth taking.	3 (3.8%)
	I sometimes don’t like the toxicities of my medicine and take it less often to avoid or reduce these toxicities.	14 (17.9%)
	I stop taking the medicine sometimes because I am having toxicities and my doctor tells me to stop the medicine until the toxicities go away.	17 (21.8%)
	I sometimes find it difficult to pay for my medicines and wait to refill my prescriptions until I have the money.	2 (2.6%)

Abbreviation: GIST, gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Figure 2 Preference weights.

Figure 3 Adherence weights.