Novel INPUT Screening Tool to Improve Illness Understanding in Patients With Metastatic or Incurable Lung Cancer

This clinical trial compares the use of a new screening tool designed to evaluate patients' information needs, preferences, and illness understanding to the usual care to improve illness understanding in patients with lung cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) or for which no curative treatment is currently available (incurable). Goal concordant care is a model of care that aligns a patient's medical care with their values, preferences, and goals. Often, patients may not fully understand their illness and prognosis, but this information is important so that they can make fully informed decisions regarding their care that are consistent with their values, preferences, and goals. Completing the Information Needs, Preferences, and Understanding Trial (INPUT) screening tool may allow for more frequent and regular discussions regarding disease status and treatment goals, ultimately resulting in improved patient illness understanding and goal concordant care for patients with metastatic or incurable lung cancer.

Primary Objectives To estimate the within group effect of perception of curability over 3 months in both the systematic screening group and the usual care group among patients with metastatic or incurable lung cancer who present to the thoracic medical oncology clinic at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.