Prostate Cancer Utilities and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

The purpose of this study is to help doctors and patients make better decisions about prostate cancer treatment. This research is being done because we do not know how patient preferences for health states related to prostate cancer affect the final treatment decision.

The goal of this project is to incorporate patients' preferences into a previously developed prostate cancer treatment decision-model and to understand the implications for doing so for cost-effectiveness analysis. To do this, it is first necessary to obtain patient utility scores (i.e., patient preference weights). To do this we will perform a survey of patients visiting the urology clinic to undergo prostate biopsies to validate a method of utility assessment, and understand the patients' individual evaluations of treatment-related health studies. We will also ask patients questions relating to their anxiety levels concerning the possible diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Patients visiting the urology clinic at the University of Chicago.

• Behavioral: Survey, interview
  A survey is administered to patients visiting the urology clinic to undergo prostate biopsies to validate a method of utility assessment, and understand patients' individual evaluations of treatment-related health states. Medical records will also be reviewed 00 days after the survey was administered to determine whether this data reflects actual treatment decisions.
• Behavioral: patient utility scores (i.e. patient preference weights)
  comparison of patient preferences

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients undergoing prostate biopsy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Women and children will be excluded, as prostate cancer occurs in men only
• Diagnosis of dementia