Use of a Decision Aid to Resolve Uncertainty About Radioactive Iodine Treatment in Patients With Intermediate Risk Thyroid Cancer: The Radiance Trial
Georgetown University
Summary
The goal of this study is to learn if a decision aid (DA) website helps people with thyroid cancer make informed decisions about radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Does the decision aid help participants understand the risks and benefits of RAI treatment? - Does it help participants make choices that reflect what matters most to them? - How does the decision aid compare to usual care in supporting patients through this decision? Participants who have been recently diagnosed with intermediate-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive a special decision aid website. This site includes detailed information about RAI, short videos, drop-down menus with extra details, exercises to help clarify values, and tools to help patients prepare questions for their doctor. The other group will receive the American Cancer Society (ACS) website. This site gives basic information about RAI but does not include interactive tools and is not specific to intermediate-risk thyroid cancer. Follow up surveys will be sent to the participants periodically, first at the start of the study, and again at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 6 months later. Researchers will compare how the two groups differ in making informed decisions. The decision aid is meant to support, not replace, a conversation with the medical team. Doctor recommendations remain an important part of treatment decisions.
Description
Background Information Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) presents with a spectrum of disease severity, which is associated with varying recurrence rates. Radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment is often considered for moderate to high recurrence risk cases. Patients with low-risk DTC typically have very low recurrence rates, and RAI is generally not used. In contrast, patients with high-risk DTC commonly receive RAI due to a substantial risk of recurrence. The intermediate-risk group experiences uncertainty regarding the potential benefit of RAI in reducing recurrence risk. This study is designed…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients aged 18 and older * Patients diagnosed with intermediate risk DTC \< 6 months ago and who are making a decision about RAI treatment * Ability to understand the information conveyed in the informed consent form, pose questions and process answers (e.g., no cognitive impairment per direct consultation with the patient's physician), and, finally, provided informed consent to participate. * Participants willingness to be contacted and remain available to complete study activities throughout the duration of the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of low risk or…
Interventions
- BehavioralDecision Aid
The study intervention is a web-based decision aid (DA) developed by the study team. The Radioactive Iodine Decisions decision aid is designed as an educational tool to help patients have information about Radioactive Iodine and encourage them to talk with their medical team about this treatment decision.
- BehavioralUsual Care
Patients randomized in the Usual Care Condition arm will receive a link for the American Cancer Society website on Radioactive Iodine (Radioiodine) Therapy for Thyroid Cancer as our comparison.
Locations (3)
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer CenterWashington D.C., District of Columbia
- MedStar Washington Hospital CenterWashington D.C., District of Columbia
- Inova Health SystemFalls Church, Virginia