Enhancing Personalized Pharmacy Counseling for ALK+ NSCLC Patients

At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting held in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Christopher Danes, Scientific Director of Global Medical Affairs Oncology at Takeda, unveiled significant findings from a discrete choice experiment focusing on treatment preferences among patients with ALK-positive (ALK+) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their caregivers. This research aims to enhance personalized pharmacy counseling and shared decision-making in the context of high-cost oral therapies, such as ALK inhibitors.

The study highlights the critical importance of understanding patient and caregiver preferences when navigating treatment options. According to Dr. Danes, the findings reveal that patients and caregivers prioritize maximizing three-year progression-free survival (PFS) but are also willing to make compromises concerning the risks of adverse events (AEs). "Our findings indicate that patients and caregivers highly value PFS, yet many are open to trading some PFS for enhancements in quality of life," stated Dr. Danes during an interview with Pharmacy Times.

The discrete choice experiment involved a diverse cohort of participants who evaluated various treatment attributes, including efficacy and the risk profiles associated with treatment options. The nuances uncovered by this study underscore the necessity for pharmacists to engage in individualized discussions with both patients and caregivers, ensuring that their unique priorities and concerns are recognized and addressed.

Dr. Danes's research also indicates that both groups were particularly concerned about cognitive and mood-related side effects, as well as serious lab abnormalities and lung complications. "Patients demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice some PFS to minimize these risks, which suggests that pharmacists should prioritize supportive care strategies that focus on early identification and management of these adverse effects," he emphasized.

The study further explored differences in preferences between patients with and without brain metastases, revealing that those with brain metastases exhibited a greater willingness to trade PFS for improved treatment outcomes. Dr. Danes indicated that ongoing analysis aims to provide deeper insights into these population-specific preferences.

Pharmacists play a pivotal role in eliciting and documenting treatment preferences, particularly for patients using oral targeted therapies that necessitate ongoing adherence and monitoring. "By routinely discussing patient goals and prior experiences with AEs, pharmacists can help ensure that these preferences are integrated into the overall care plan," he noted.

In addition to providing tailored counseling, the insights from this research can guide pharmacists in crafting adherence strategies and educational materials that resonate with patient values. Dr. Danes remarked on the importance of utilizing findings from discrete choice experiments to address the AEs that matter most to patients, thereby enhancing overall treatment satisfaction and compliance.

This groundbreaking research not only illuminates the complexities of patient and caregiver decision-making but also serves as a clarion call for integrating patient preferences into value-based care models for high-cost therapies. As the landscape of oncology continues to evolve, the imperative for personalized, patient-centered care has never been more pronounced.