In recent years, the arrival of targeted oral therapies has greatly changed cancer treatment. These therapies help patients stay independent by reducing the number of hospital visits, since the treatment is given at home. However, this way of giving treatment brings specific challenges, especially in managing side effects and making sure patients follow their treatment properly.
Because of this, many patient education programs have been created to help patients learn how to manage their treatment on their own. Although only a few studies have formally looked at how useful these programs are, the available information suggests that they help patients handle side effects better and follow their treatment more closely.
Neuroendocrine tumors are a diverse group of tumors that are becoming more common. More patients with these tumors are now treated with targeted oral therapies such as everolimus, sunitinib, cabozantinib, or chemotherapy with temozolomide and capecitabine.
These treatments are often given together with a patient education program. However, so far, no study has specifically looked at how helpful these education programs are for this group of patients.