Older Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Are Less Knowledgeable About Survivorship Issues: Outcomes from a Survey-based Study.

Background And Aims: As the incidence and survival for hepatocellular carcinoma increase, the number of patients having been treated for liver cancer would be expected to increase as well. Little is known about the experience of the survivors of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: The authors conducted a 3-tool survey of hepatocellular carcinoma survivors at a large, academic, and tertiary referral medical center to assess potential areas of disparities in the survivorship experience. The instruments aimed to assess knowledge of survivorship issues (Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions Questionnaire-1), preparedness for the survivorship experience (Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions Questionnaire-2), and self-efficacy in procuring medical information while navigating the patient-provider relationship (Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions Questionnaire). The authors compared mean test scores for each instrument, with higher scores indicating a more positive response, by patient characteristics and used s linear regression model to examine associations between sociodemographics and survey scores.

Results: In total, 110 patients took at least 1 survey. In the multiple linear regression model, the authors found that for every increase in patient age by 10 years, knowledge of survivorship issues decreased by a total score of 1.3 (P=0.02). In this model, the authors found no significant differences between male and female respondents, English and non-English speakers, and liver transplant recipients and nonliver transplant recipients. Survivors who had completed a 4-year college degree had significantly higher knowledge of survivorship issues than those who did not use χ testing, but this finding did not maintain significance in the multiple linear regression model.

Conclusions: In a population of 110 ethnically diverse hepatocellular carcinoma survivors, the authors found older patients had gaps in knowledge of survivorship issues. Particular attention should be paid to older populations during liver cancer treatment.