What Are the Needs and Preferences of Liposarcoma Patients? A Literature Review and Qualitative Interviews

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the perceptions, needs and preferences among liposarcoma patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in the treatment of liposarcoma, concerning their care and treatments. The study aimed to investigate (i) needs and preferences of liposarcoma patients, (ii) if and how patients are involved in treatment choices and (iii) perceptions and insights of HCPs. The focus was on 2 subtypes of liposarcoma, dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) and well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS).

METHODS: This study consisted of two parts: (a) a literature review using PubMed, Embase and grey literature, and (b) qualitative interviews with HCPs involved in the treatment of liposarcoma patients (n=6). The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic framework analysis.

RESULTS: (a) The literature search in PubMed and Embase resulted in 90 articles eligible for data extraction. Most of the articles were case reports (n=33) and retrospective descriptive studies (n=30). The articles revealed several areas of unmet needs, such as an accurate diagnosis, clarity of treatment strategies, and the understanding of the benefits and risks of the treatments. The grey literature search included clinical trials databases and European Public Assessment Reports (EPARs). Reported adverse events in phase 3 liposarcoma clinical trials (n=9) were extracted. The adverse events commonly observed across different treatments were anemia, nausea, fatigue, alopecia and febrile neutropenia. (b) Interviews with HCPs revealed the importance of accurate diagnosis, multidisciplinary approaches and the involvement of patients and patient preferences.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study identified areas of unmet needs in treatments among patients and HCPs in the field of WDLPS and DDLPS. The findings of this study will inform a broader qualitative patient preference study, including interviews with WDLPS and DDLPS patients, aiming to further refine what matters most to patients and how this aligns with HCPs perceptions and perspectives.