Main Session
Sep 29
PQA 07 - Head and Neck Cancer, Lung Cancer/Thoracic Malignancies, and Nursing and Supportive Care

3533 - Predictors and Equity of Distribution of Educational Materials to Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy for Thoracic Malignancies

03:45pm - 05:00pm ET
Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A
Screen: 34
POSTER

Presenter(s)

Lauren Linkowski, MD, BS Headshot
Lauren Linkowski, MD, BS - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

L. C. Linkowski1, M. Iocolano1, S. Villalona2, S. Potluri3, C. Bach4, K. Arnold-Korzeniowski4, J. M. Metz1, and C. E. Hill-Kayser5; 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 3Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiation Oncology, Philadelphia, PA, 4Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 5Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Purpose/Objective(s):

Patients with thoracic malignancies (TM) often require multimodality treatment including surgery, systemic therapy (ST) and/ or radiation therapy (RT). Precision medicine within TM has improved patient outcomes, while rapidly expanding the potential treatment paradigms, as well as potential treatment-related toxicities. Patient education (PE) can improve awareness of toxicities, reducing need for emergency care. In this study, we sought to examine distribution of standardized PE materials to patients being treated for TM in an academic radiation oncology department.

Materials/Methods:

The Treatment Binder Builder is a publicly available, web-based tool on the OncoLink website, a free resource maintained by a multidisciplinary staff team at OncoLink (www.oncolink.org). This tool allows practitioners to select relevant PE materials. At our center, this tool was integrated into the electronic medical record in 2021 allowing delivery of PE via the patient portal. The medical chart was queried for all patients treated for TM with RT between 2021-2023. Baseline characteristics between PE receipt and non-receipt were compared via chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of PE receipt.

Results:

A total of 450 patients with TM who received RT between 2021–2023 were included. More than half received PE (291, 64.7%) during RT care. Patients who received PE were more often females (59.8%) and had prior surgery (65.6% vs 56.0%, p=0.043). There were no significant differences in race, preferred language, smoking status, or insurance type. On univariable analysis, prior surgery (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.01-2.23, p=0.044) and ST (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.44-3.26, p<0.001) were significantly associated with PE receipt; however, on multivariable analysis, only receipt of ST remained significant (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.31-2.49, p=0.003).

Conclusion:

Standardizing delivery of PE was associated with equitable distribution across demographic groups, supporting its role as a scalable approach. Receipt was more common among patients undergoing ST, possibly reflecting the variability of ST regimens and/ or patient acuity. However, patients treated with RT or surgery also face substantial treatment-related toxicities and decision burdens. These findings support the importance of ensuring that educational interventions are consistently provided across all treatment modalities. Patients receiving local therapies should not be overlooked in education efforts that support informed decision-making, expectation management, and trust in care.