Interactive Decision Support Tool - - Expert Insights: Melanoma

Treatment Options for Advanced Melanoma From 5 Experts: An Online Tool

Released: May 03, 2019

Expiration: May 01, 2020

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About This Tool

Clinical Care Options, LLC, is grateful to Program Director Michael Postow, MD, and expert faculty Michael B. Atkins, MD; Adil Daud, MD; Kim Margolin, MD; and Hussein Tawbi, MD, who provided expert guidance, knowledge, and support in the development of this interactive treatment tool.

Note: These data were compiled in December 2018/January 2019 and include the opinions of the experts at that time.

The goal of the tool is to help you better understand your diagnosis of advanced melanoma and your treatment options such that you may become partners with your oncology care team and not just a bystander in your cancer care.

A series of questions developed by the experts allow you to select individual characteristics of your cancer that are necessary to consider when making treatment choices in melanoma. These characteristics include:

Cancer stage
Previous surgery for your cancer and results
Previous systemic therapy for your cancer and results
BRAF gene mutation status
Tumor bulk or burden
LDH level
Presence of symptoms
Overall fitness and significant illnesses

If you do not have this information yet, you can ask your oncologist about these characteristics—sometimes it helps to have someone attend appointments with you to take notes or you can ask your oncologist if it is ok to record the conversation (most are fine with and used to being recorded). We also developed a PDF consultation checklist that you can print and take with you to your appointment to help you gather this information.

It should be noted that these factors are not the only things to consider when making management choices; other health issues (comorbidities) and cancer characteristics that cannot be included in this tool also need to be considered and discussed with your oncologist to create the best plan for your individual needs.

Once your information is entered, you will be asked to enter the treatment plan your team has suggested. Select the answer option “unsure” if a plan has yet to be made. Afterward, an Expert Insight table showing the treatment choices of all 5 experts based on the characteristics you entered will be displayed. It should be noted that there will likely be no unanimous choice among the experts, which serves to show there is typically more than one good option for a particular patient. This gives you and your team the opportunity to choose the best care for you.

You can print the expert choices along with a summary of the characteristics and selected therapy you entered by clicking Case Summary.

Disclaimer: Access to and use of this Interactive Decision Support Tool titled, “Treatment Options From 5 Experts for Advanced Melanoma: An Online Tool,” is provided subject to the following terms and conditions. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY.

The “Treatment Options From 5 Experts for Advanced Melanoma: An Online Tool” Interactive Decision Support Tool is designed to educate patients on optimal management decisions for advanced melanoma based on their specific cancer characteristics. The information provided is based on the expert guidance of 5 melanoma experts: Michael B. Atkins, MD; Adil Daud, MD; Kim Margolin, MD; Michael Postow, MD; and Hussein Tawbi, MD.

Although the information contained in the “Treatment Options From 5 Experts for Advanced Melanoma: An Online Tool” Interactive Decision Support Tool has been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of any information. Patients should always discuss their healthcare decisions with their oncology care team. This disclaimer applies to both the isolated and aggregate uses of the information. Clinical Care Options provides this information on an as-is basis. This disclaimer applies to all data on the Clinical Care Options Web site including but not limited to medical information or opinions. All warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, freedom from contamination by computer viruses, and noninfringement of proprietary rights are disclaimed.

Any trademarks are the property of respective companies.

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