Table 3 Reasons for not undergoing or discontinuing MT (multiple reasons possible)
Reasons for not undergoing maintenance therapy (n = 24) | Reasons for discontinuation of maintenance therapy (n = 29) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
PHYSICIAN | PATIENT | PHYSICIAN | PATIENT |
Toxicity or side-effects (n = 7) | Toxicity or side-effects (n = 14) | Disease progression (n = 18) | Disease progression (n = 9) |
Regression/ curative treatment (n = 5) | Need for treatment break (n = 12) | Poor health status (n = 5) | Physical or emotional exhaustion (n = 6) |
Patient wish for treatment holiday (n = 4) | Physical or emotional exhaustion (n = 10) | Treatment toxicity (n = 4) | Need for treatment break (n = 6) |
Poor health status (n = 3) | Doubts that treatment would improve the condition (n = 7) | New comorbidities/ metastases (n = 2) | Treatment toxicity and side-effects (n = 5) |
Patient compliance, disease progression (n = 2 each) | Reasons not specified (n = 4) | Remission or deceased (n = 1 each) | Time burden (n = 2) |
New comorbidity, not eligible (n = 1 each) | Recommendation from family or friends (n = 3) |  |  |
|  | Financial and time burden (n = 2 each) |  |  |
|  | Curative treatment, poor health status (n = 1 each) |  |  |