Patient Preferences for Adjuvant Interferon Alfa-2b Treatment

PURPOSE: Although trials of adjuvant interferon alfa-2b (IFNα-2b) in high-risk melanoma patients suggest improvement in disease-free survival, it is unclear whether treatment offers improvement in overall survival. Widespread use of adjuvant IFNα-2b has been tempered by its significant toxicity. To quantify the trade-offs between IFNα-2b toxicity and survival, we assessed patient utilities for health states associated with IFN therapy. Utilities are measures of preference for a particular health state on a scale of 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed utilities for health states associated with adjuvant IFN among 107 low-risk melanoma patients using the standard gamble technique. Health states described four IFNα-2b toxicity scenarios and the following three posttreatment outcomes: disease-free health and melanoma recurrence (with or without IFNα-2b) leading to cancer death. We also asked patients the improvement in 5-year disease-free survival they would require to tolerate ...