COMM-TDM
Navigating cancer treatment conversations in Luxembourg? We want to hear from both patients and clinicians.
When a patient has cancer, the patient and their doctors often need to make important decisions about treatment. How these conversations develop can depend on many things, including the languages they speak, their age, and their background. This is especially relevant in Luxembourg, where patients and doctors often come from many different places and cultures.
The Ageing, Cancer and Disparities (ACADI) team at the Luxembourg Institute of Health would like to hear from people, patients and doctors alike, about their own experience of these treatment conversations: from how treatment information was discussed to the treatment decision itself.
The goal is to understand how clinicians navigate complex treatment decisions with patients with more complex health statuses (such as older adults) in Luxembourg’s uniquely multilingual and multicultural environment. This research aims to highlight key communication dynamics to better support clinicians and empower patients during treatment decision-making across cultures and languages.
The research team is inviting adults aged 50 and over who began cancer treatment in 2024 or later to take part in a small group discussion lasting about 45 minutes, in person or online. The team is also inviting medical doctors involved in the prescription of cancer treatment for a one-time, 30-minute interview to share their clinical perspective. Taking part is voluntary. What you tell us may help doctors and care teams better understand how to support patients when having discussions about treatment decision-making.
About the study
Locations
L-1445 Strassen
Luxembourg
Contact
Who can participate?
Eligible participants
Patients and doctors might participate. You may be eligible to participate if you are:
A patient:
- aged 50+ who have received or are in treatment for cancer since 2024;
- consenting to participate in the study;
- able to understand one of the chosen interview language (German/English/French).
A healthcare professional:
- Medical doctors involved in the prescription of cancer treatment;
- Consent to participate in the study;
- Understanding of chosen interview language (German/English/French).
Exclusion criteria
You may not be eligible to participate if you are:
A patient:
- without cancer treatment experience;
- with reduced cognitive abilities;
- unable to provide consent;
- not feeling comfortable with the chosen interview languages (German/English/French).
A healthcare professional:
- not involved in the cancer treatment process.
Not sure about eligibility?
The study team will review each case individually to determine eligibility. If you are unsure whether you are eligible, do not hesitate to contact us.
What will participants do?
IF YOU ARE A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL:
We are looking for oncologists for a one-time, 30-minute interview to share their clinical perspective.
01.
Sign an informed consent form
Complete and sign the consent form to participate. This can be returned via email to redioqual@lih.lu or by post to the ACADI team at 1A-B Rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, Luxembourg.
02.
Participate in a 30-minute interview at your convenience
The conversation will be in a language of your choice (English, French, or German) either in person or online.
Your insights will help establish foundational evidence on health communication in Luxembourg, identifying ways to ease the communication burden on healthcare teams and support patients in navigating these interactions.
What you share is confidential: audio recordings (if you consent) are transcribed and then permanently deleted. Transcripts are de-identified, and no names or identifying details will appear in any report or publication. This is purely exploratory research to understand context, not an assessment of any kind.
IF YOU ARE A PATIENT:
Participants will take part in a 45-minute group discussion (focus group). The group will be small, around 3 to 6 people. There will be separate groups for people aged 50 to 69 and people aged 70 and over, so that people at similar stages of life can share their experiences together.
A researcher from the Luxembourg Institute of Health will lead the discussion. There are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in your own experience.
01.
Sign an informed consent form
Complete and sign the consent form to participate. This can be returned via email to redioqual@lih.lu or by post to the ACADI team at 1A-B Rue Thomas Edison, L-1445 Strassen, Luxembourg.
02.
Choose a time and place
A researcher will contact you by phone or email to schedule a convenient time and location. You can decide whether you want to join In-Person at the Luxembourg Institute of Health offices in Strassen or online via video call on WebEx. We will help you with setting this up.
03.
Take part in a 45-minute group discussion
Take part in the discussion (Approx. 45 Minutes). The discussion will be in the language of your choice (between English, French & German). We will ask about:
- Your experience of how decisions about your cancer treatment were made
- How information was communicated between you and your doctors
- Whether things like language, age, or past experience impacted the communication
You can skip any question, take a break, or leave the discussion at any time. You do not need to give a reason.
Recording and your privacy
- The discussion will be audio-recorded by offline dictaphone.
- The researcher may also take short written notes. These will not include your name or identifying information.
- The recording will be typed up word for word. Your name and any details that could identify you will be removed.
- We may use short quotes from the discussion in reports or publications. These will never include your name or details that could identify you.
- The audio recording will be deleted once it has been typed up and checked, and no later than 6 months after the last group discussion in the study (at the latest April 2028).
If you change your mind
You can stop taking part at any time before or during the discussion. Once the transcript has been anonymised, we may not be able to link you back to your data and will no longer be able to remove it from the study.
Contact & location
Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) – Edison
1A-1B, rue Thomas Edison
L-1445 Strassen
Luxembourg
Principal Investigator
Principal investigator
Dr Sophie Pilleron
Group leader – Ageing, Cancer & Disparities Research Unit
Study team
Participating institutions
Funded by
Luxembourg National Research Fund
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