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Esophageal Cancer Patients Management: Cross-Cultural Differences Between Dutch and Italian Patients in Perceived Quality of Provided Oncological Information
Luca Maria Saadeh*1, Annelijn E. Slaman2, Eleonora Pinto1, Suzanne S. Gisbertz2, Francesco Cavallin1, Egle Jezerskyte2, Rita Alfieri1, MariaCristina Bellissimo1, Matteo Cagol1, Carlo Castoro1, Marco Scarpa1, Mark I. van Berge Henegouwen2
1Surgical Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology, Padova, Italy; 2Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Background:
Esophageal cancer is an increasingly common cancer with a poor prognosis. Information about all the aspect of the disease and the prognosis is part of current management of oncological patients. Cross-cultural differences may affect patients’ perceived information about disease and treatment.
Aim and methods
The aim of this study was to analyze cultural differences in patients’ perception about information provided in two tertiary referral centers, one in Italy and the other in The Netherlands. Quality of life was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and OG25 questionnaires, and quality of received information using EORTC INFO25 questionnaire. Sixty-five patients (27 Italian and 38 Dutch) completed the questionnaire at diagnosis and 79 patients (47 Italian and 32 Dutch) during neoadjuvant therapy.
Results:
At diagnosis, Dutch patients reported better information about treatments (p=0.02), information about others services (p=0.03), satisfaction with information provided (p=0.009) and overall usefulness of information (p=0.05) than Italian patients. Patients’ global quality of life and emotional function at diagnosis were directly correlated to satisfaction about information (rho 0.37 and 0.32, respectively; both p<0.05).
During neoadjuvant therapy, Italian patients were more satisfied with information about disease (p=0.03), treatments (p=0.008), others services (p=0.004), different places of care (p=0.002), overall usefulness of information (p=0.006) and overall satisfaction (p=0.02) than Dutch patients. Patients’ global quality of life and emotional function during neoadjuvant therapy were directly correlated to satisfaction about information (rho 0.33 and 0.36, respectively; both p<0.01) and overall usefulness of information (rho 0.29 and 0.37, respectively; both p<0.05).
Conclusions:
Satisfaction about received information is correlated to better quality of life and emotional function in esophageal cancer patients. Cross-cultural differences between Dutch and Italian patients suggest to explore intervention strategies in order to improve communication and patient’s management at the different step of the clinical course.
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