Needs and Preferences of Patients With Head-neck Cutaneous SCC

October 18, 2023 updated by: Maastricht University Medical Center

The Needs and Preferences of Patients With High-risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas in the Head Neck Region: a Qualitative Approach

The care of patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in the head-neck area is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. A key component in this care is the need and experience of patients. However, studies on the experiences and needs of patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in the head-neck region are lacking.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer worldwide after basal cell carcinoma. It involves approximately 20% of all cutaneous malignancies and its incidence is still increasing. In 2020, nearly 15,000 cSCCs were reported in the Netherlands, of which approximately 50% concerned patients aged 75 years or older. UV radiation is the main risk factor for development of a cSCC, therefore the majority of cSCCs are localized to the sun-exposed skin in the head-neck region. cSCCs have a metastatic rate of 2.6-5% and recurrence rate of 1.9-3.7%, with rates increasing in high-risk cSCCs. The increasing incidence, advanced age, the (often) high-risk localization in the head-neck area (given functional and cosmetic importance) and the possible high risk of metastasis result in complex care, especially in stage T2 to T4 cSCCs, also known as high-risk cSCCs.

In this complex care, care pathways offer an excellent opportunity to improve multidisciplinary communication, patient satisfaction, quality and efficiency of care. In this, the experiences and needs of patients are of great importance. Previous research on the experiences and needs of patients with skin cancer is limited and particularly focused on melanomas. In 2017, a qualitative systematic review of the experiences and needs of patients with skin cancer found only two studies examining cSCCs. These studies showed that patients perceived clear information, attention to psychosocial aspects and attention to prevention as important.

In 2019, a study of the needs and experiences of patients with keratinocyte carcinomas, conducted through focus groups, showed similar results. Non of these studies examined cSCCs exclusively, nor did they differentiate by location. However, this appears to be relevant, because of the higher impact on the quality of life of patients with skin cancer in visible locations.

Additionally, studies have been conducted into shared-decision making as part of multidisciplinary care. Complex cases are currently often discussed multidisciplinary. However, several studies describe that such a multidisciplinary approach can impede multidisciplinary decision-making because the patient's perspective is often missing. Studies on the experience of patients with cSCCs in the head neck region are lacking.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
      • Maastricht, Netherlands
        • Maastricht University Medical Center+

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients, over 18 years of age, clinically diagnosed with a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma localized in the head and neck area, seen in the MUMC+ at the multidisciplinary head-neck consultation of the department of dermatology, who have already been treated for this cSCC and are willing to participate in the study will be included. If the patient is cognitively unable to participate in the interview, alternatively, a representative may participate in the interview.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with a cSCC, located in the head-neck region
  • who visited the multidisciplinary head-neck team of the Maastricht University Medical Center+
  • who already received treatment for their cSCC
  • who gave informed consent for participation

Exclusion Criteria:

- patients who are cognitively impaired for participation in an interview

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Head-neck cutaneous Squamous cell carcinomas
Patients with high risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the head neck region, receiving regular multidisciplinary care.
Other: Regular care with additional administration of a semi-structured interview

Patients receiving regular care. In addition, a semi-structured interview is conducted.

The semi-structured interviews take place once after completion of the care pathway (after all appointments for check-ups associated with the treatment). The interview contains questions about the experience of patients with the care, the needs in this care, the experiences with the information received, the support/guidance, the turnaround time, the treatment received and areas for improvement.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Themes patients
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The emerging themes of patient needs an experiences in the care of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the head-neck region.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Themes professionals
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The emerging themes of professionals' needs in the care of patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the head-neck area.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Association themes and patient/tumor characteristics
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The associations between the emerging themes and baseline characteristics (such as gender, age, marital status, education level, world health organisation performance status, informal care, history of skin cancer, co-occurrence of other skin cancers) and tumor characteristics (such as stage of cSCC, differentiation, type of treatment).
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Association themes and professional characteristics
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The associations between the emerging themes and characteristics of professionals (gender, age, type of specialty, number of years working as a specialist, number of years of experience within head and neck working group).
Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Maastricht University Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: K Mosterd, MD, PhD, Maastricht University Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2023

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 18, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 13, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

September 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 19, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 18, 2023

Last Verified

October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • METC 2021-2765

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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