Mount Sinai School of Medicine is leading a study of patients newly-diagnosed with prostate cancer to determine if providing them with multimedia materials can help them make more informed treatment decisions. Michael Diefenbach, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Urology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine developed a multimedia software program designed to help prostate cancer patients and their families make treatment decisions. The Cancer Information Service Research Consortium (CISRC) is supporting the study by providing the software to a group of patients in the study to learn if having a multimedia resource helps them determine their treatment pathway.
A diagnosis of prostate cancer can be overwhelming, and having to choose which treatment option is best for the patient is even more challenging. There are numerous options available with positive long-term treatment outcomes and patients typically desire therapy that will have the least impact on their quality of life.
"Having a discussion about treatment options is difficult for a patient who is still absorbing the shock of their diagnosis," says Dr. Diefenbach. "We hope that providing this multimedia software will help patients and their families be fully engaged in their treatment discussions and make an informed decision with their doctor."
The multimedia program includes interviews with leading prostate cancer experts and survivors, a discussion of the available treatment options, and a virtual notebook so patients can keep track of which elements of treatment are important to them.