Patients with breast cancer have unmet needs and anxiety during radiotherapy. To address this, a person-centered service was designed through Radiation Therapist (RTT)-led education and continuity-of-care over the whole course of treatment to determine if the person-centered model was more effective compared to standard care. Breast cancer patients requiring radiotherapy were randomized to the intervention or standard care arm. The intervention was a 1-on-1 education session led in-person by an RTT who subsequently performed radiation planning and treatment delivery for the same patient. Standard care had no specific RTT-led education session and was usually delivered by many RTTs. Compared to standard care, the person-centered model significantly improved patients’ procedural concerns, overall satisfaction and experiences with care. RTT-led patient education will now be supported as standard care in Ontario, and the results of this work support its evidence-based implementation.

Objective: Patients with breast cancer have unmet needs and anxiety during radiotherapy. To address this, a person-centered service was designed through RTT-led education and continuity-of-care over the course of treatment.

Methods: Breast cancer patients requiring radiotherapy were randomized to the intervention or standard care arm. The intervention was a 1-on-1 pre-CT education session led in-person by an RTT who subsequently performed CT, radiation planning, treatment delivery and support for the same patient. Standard care had no specific RTT-led education session and was usually delivered by many RTTs. Patient-reported endpoints were collected using validated questionnaires for anxiety (primary endpoint), self-efficacy, treatment concerns and health engagement (secondary endpoints), and were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models. Post-treatment surveys were captured and optional semi-structured interviews were conducted to thematically analyze patients’ experiences using qualitative methods.

Results: Patients (109) were randomized to the intervention (54) or standard care (55). Anxiety was significantly reduced post-treatment, although the magnitude was similar between arms (p=0.682). Procedural concerns were significantly reduced in the intervention arm (p=0.001). Other secondary outcomes (anxiety, self-efficacy, health engagement) were similar between arms. Satisfaction improved with the intervention for provision of information (p=0.042) and overall hospital care (p=0.024). Thematic interview analysis (20 intervention, 21 standard care) demonstrated that patients highly valued RTT-led education, having one consistent RTT (or a small team of RTTs), or for especially vulnerable individuals.

Conclusion: The person-centered RTT model significantly improved patients’ procedural concerns, overall satisfaction and experiences with care. This model may facilitate an individualized approach to patients most in need.

• Velec M, Hoang V, Cashell A, Bryant K, Chen S, et al, Koch CA. OC-0512 Randomized trial of person-centered versus standard RTT care for breast cancer patients NCT04507568. Randomized trial of a person-centered versus standard radiation therapy model-of-care for breast cancer patients (PERSON Study). European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, Vienna, Austria. Radiother Oncol 182(1)Suppl.1:S421, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8140(23)08644-9Hoang V, Velec M, Cashell A, Nachman J, Croke J, et al, Koch CA. Person-centered radiation therapy for breast cancer patients: patient experiences from a prospective randomized trial (Person). 2022 Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) Annual Scientific Meeting. Radiother Oncol 174(1)Suppl.1:S32, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8140(22)04349-3Velec M, Hoang V, Cashell A, Bryant K, Chen S, et al, Koch CA. Randomized trial of a person-centered versus standard radiation therapy model-of-care for breast cancer patients (PERSON Study). Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (ASMIRT) 2023 Conference, Sydney, Australia. J Med Radiat Sci 70:18, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmrs.664