A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights the benefits of Patient-Centered Pathology Reports (PCPR) in helping patients better understand their prostate cancer diagnosis compared to standard pathology report formats.

The research, led by Dr. Cathryn J. Lapedis of Michigan Medicine, evaluated the comprehension and emotional responses of 2,238 adults aged 55 to 84 who received prostate biopsy results in one of three report formats: PCPR, a standard university report, or a standard Veterans Affairs (VA) report. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the groups to assess their ability to interpret the results accurately.

The study revealed significant differences in comprehension between the groups. Among those who received PCPRs, 93% correctly identified that the report indicated prostate cancer, compared to only 39% and 56% for the university and VA reports, respectively. Similarly, PCPR recipients were far more likely to classify their cancer risk accurately (93%) than those who received university (41%) or VA (36%) reports.

The ability to understand more technical aspects, such as the total Gleason score—a critical measure of prostate cancer severity—was also significantly higher in the PCPR group, with 84% accuracy compared to 48% and 40% for the university and VA reports, respectively.

Moreover, participants who received PCPRs reported a clear correlation between their level of worry and the cancer risk indicated in their results. Those in high-risk scenarios expressed heightened concern, while those in low-risk scenarios reported significantly lower anxiety. In contrast, this association was less pronounced among recipients of standard reports.

The study also found that participants rated the PCPR format significantly higher in terms of ease of understanding compared to the traditional formats.

The findings underscore the importance of simplifying medical communication for patients. “Most study participants could not extract basic information—including whether they have cancer—from standard prostate cancer pathology reports but were able to understand this diagnostic information from the PCPRs,” the authors noted.

These results suggest that adopting patient-centered report formats could empower individuals with clearer information, enabling them to make more informed decisions about their care.

The study advocates for wider implementation of PCPRs in clinical settings to bridge the communication gap between physicians and patients, fostering greater understanding and reducing unnecessary anxiety.