Table 2 Differences in the treatment conditions, medications, and treatment strategies among different economic regions
Questions | Answers | East China (n = 321) | Central China (n = 351) | West China (n = 255) | Northeast China (n = 94) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Treatment conditions | ||||||
Is the price of medication acceptable? | Yes | 112 (34.9%) | 84 (23.9%) | 67 (26.3%) | 24 (25.5%) | 0.011* |
No | 209 (65.1%) | 267 (76.1%) | 188 (73.7%) | 70 (74.5%) | ||
Are drugs sufficient? | Yes | 73 (22.7%) | 87 (24.8%) | 57 (22.4%) | 33 (35.1%) | 0.075 |
No | 248 (77.3%) | 264 (75.2%) | 198 (77.6%) | 61 (64.9%) | ||
What is your major drug source? | Imported | 89 (27.7%) | 118 (33.6%) | 88 (34.5%) | 43 (45.7%) | 0.011* |
Domestic | 188 (58.6%) | 169 (48.1%) | 132 (51.8%) | 40 (42.6%) | ||
Available | 44 (13.7%) | 64 (18.2%) | 35 (13.7%) | 11 (11.7%) | ||
What is the percentage of the advanced stage cancer in your practice? | < 40% | 100 (31.2%) | 85 (24.2%) | 76 (29.8%) | 39 (41.5%) | 0.012* |
40–60% | 129 (40.2%) | 134 (38.2%) | 90 (35.3%) | 33 (35.1%) | ||
> 60% | 92 (28.7%) | 132 (37.6%) | 89 (34.9%) | 22 (23.4%) | ||
What is the percentage of the first diagnosis? | < 20% | 163 (50.8%) | 183 (52.1%) | 142 (55.7%) | 52 (55.3%) | 0.621 |
20–40% | 94 (29.3%) | 109 (31.1%) | 66 (25.9%) | 22 (23.4%) | ||
> 40% | 64 (19.9%) | 59 (16.8%) | 47 (18.4%) | 20 (21.3%) | ||
Is the method of diagnosis enough? | Yes | 166 (51.7%) | 183 (52.1%) | 117 (45.9%) | 47 (50.0%) | 0.436 |
No | 155 (48.3%) | 168 (47.9%) | 138 (54.1%) | 47 (50.0%) | ||
Is your hospital able to conduct further tests to determine the nature of the liver masses? | Yes | 312 (97.2%) | 341 (97.2%) | 244 (95.7%) | 84 (89.4%) | 0.004* |
No | 9 (2.8%) | 10 (2.8%) | 11 (4.3%) | 10 (10.6%) | ||
Medication methods | ||||||
Do you advocate traditional Chinese medicine? | Yes | 194 (60.4%) | 243 (69.2%) | 146 (57.3%) | 51 (54.3%) | 0.005* |
No | 127 (39.6%) | 108 (30.8%) | 109 (42.7%) | 43 (45.7%) | ||
What is your preferred immunotherapy drug? | PD-1 | 246 (76.6%) | 273 (77.8%) | 179 (70.2%) | 75 (79.8%) | 0.054 |
PD-L1 | 70 (21.8%) | 62 (17.7%) | 62 (24.3%) | 16 (17.0%) | ||
CTLA-4 | 5 (1.6%) | 16 (4.6%) | 14 (5.5%) | 3 (3.2%) | ||
How do you deal with adverse effects of targeted therapy? | Keeping the dosage and frequency | 108 (33.6%) | 116 (33.0%) | 97 (38.0%) | 35 (37.2%) | 0.844 |
Reducing the dosage | 174 (54.2%) | 186 (53.0%) | 125 (49.0%) | 48 (51.1%) | ||
Intermittent medication | 39 (12.1%) | 49 (14.0%) | 33 (12.9%) | 11 (11.7%) | ||
What is your preferred targeted drug? | Sorafenib | 151 (47.0%) | 200 (57.0%) | 162 (63.5%) | 59 (62.8%) | <0.001* |
Lenvatinib | 145 (45.2%) | 109 (31.1%) | 65 (25.5%) | 25 (26.6%) | ||
Second-line drugs | 25 (7.8%) | 42 (12.0%) | 28 (11.0%) | 10 (10.6%) | ||
Treatment strategies | ||||||
What are your major considerations for prescribing? | Cost or insurance | 95 (29.6%) | 127 (36.2%) | 97 (38.0%) | 41 (43.6%) | 0.008* |
Effectiveness | 174 (54.2%) | 174 (49.6%) | 106 (41.6%) | 40 (42.6%) | ||
Availability | 52 (16.2%) | 50 (14.2%) | 52 (20.4%) | 13 (13.8%) | ||
What is your preferred treatment regimen? | Targeted therapy | 36 (11.2%) | 39 (11.1%) | 28 (11.0%) | 11 (11.7%) | 0.962 |
Immunotherapy | 5 (1.6%) | 4 (1.1%) | 3 (1.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | ||
Target therapy & Immunotherapy | 272 (84.7%) | 301 (85.8%) | 217 (85.1%) | 81 (86.2%) | ||
Chemotherapy | 8 (2.5%) | 7 (2.0%) | 7 (2.7%) | 2 (2.1%) | ||
Do you support the disclosure of the patients’ true conditions? | Yes | 225 (70.1%) | 205 (58.4%) | 147 (57.6%) | 55 (58.5%) | 0.004* |
No | 96 (29.9%) | 146 (41.6%) | 108 (42.4%) | 39 (41.5%) | ||
Who will make the final decisions on treatment? | Doctors | 37 (11.5%) | 40 (11.4%) | 46 (18.0%) | 18 (19.1%) | 0.113 |
Patients | 75 (23.4%) | 88 (25.1%) | 61 (23.9%) | 18 (19.1%) | ||
Patients’ family | 209 (65.1%) | 223 (63.5%) | 148 (58.0%) | 58 (61.7%) | ||
Is the pathological diagnosis important? | Yes | 159 (49.5%) | 172 (49.0%) | 148 (58.0%) | 40 (42.6%) | 0.036* |
No | 162 (50.5%) | 179 (51.0%) | 107 (42.0%) | 54 (57.4%) | ||
What is your recommended hospital when the diagnosis is vague? | Local hospitals | 83 (25.9%) | 31 (8.8%) | 23 (9.0%) | 16 (17.0%) | <0.001* |
Provincial capital hospitals | 86 (26.8%) | 206 (58.7%) | 136 (53.3%) | 34 (36.2%) | ||
National top hospitals | 152 (47.4%) | 114 (32.5%) | 96 (37.6%) | 44 (46.8%) |