Trial reportBMC dermatology2012
What determines patient preferences for treating low risk basal cell carcinoma when comparing surgery vs imiquimod? A discrete choice experiment survey from the SINS trial.
Trial report in BMC dermatology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Patients' Preferences for Outcome, Process and Cost Attributes in Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review of Discrete Choice Experiments.The patient · 2017Pooled it
- Discrete choice experiments in health economics: a review of the literature.PharmacoEconomics · 2014Pooled it
- Risk as an attribute in discrete choice experiments: a systematic review of the literature.The patient · 2014Pooled it
- Treatment of Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma With Topical 5% Imiquimod Cream: An Autobiographical Case Report.Cureus · 2026Article
- Immunotherapy in Basal Cell Carcinoma.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Therapeutic Approaches for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: Standard of Care and Emerging Modalities.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Topical Treatments for Basal Cell Carcinoma and Actinic Keratosis in the United States.Cancers · 2023Review
- Patient Preference for Optical Coherence Tomography versus Punch Biopsy as Diagnostic Strategy for Diagnosis of Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Labelled Discrete Choice Experiment.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2022Article
- Article
- Health-Related Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials.Current treatment options in oncology · 2020Review
- Patient preferences for reducing bowel adverse events following prostate radiotherapy.PloS one · 2020Article
- A Review on Imiquimod Therapy and Discussion on Optimal Management of Basal Cell Carcinomas.Clinical drug investigation · 2018Review
- Imiquimod 5% cream for the treatment of large nodular basal cell carcinoma at the medial canthal area.Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2017Article
- Sample Size Requirements for Discrete-Choice Experiments in Healthcare: a Practical Guide.The patient · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe SINS trial (Controlled Clinical Trials ISRCTN48755084; Eudract No. 2004-004506-24) is a randomised controlled trial evaluating long term success of excisional surgery vs. imiquimod 5% cream for low risk nodular and superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The trial included a discrete choice experiment questionnaire to explore patient preferences of a cream versus surgery for the treatment of their skin cancer.
methodsThe self-completed questionnaire was administered at baseline to 183 participants, measuring patients' strength of preferences when choosing either alternative 'surgery' or 'imiquimod cream' instead of a fixed 'current situation' option (of surgical excision as standard practice in UK). The treatments were described according to: cost, chance of complete clearance, side effects and appearance. Participants had to choose between various scenarios. Analysis was performed using a mixed logit model, which took into account the impact of previous BCC treatment and sample preference variability.
resultsThe analysis showed that respondents preferred 'imiquimod cream' to their 'current situation' or 'surgery', regardless of previous experience of BCC symptoms and treatment. Respondents were more likely to be worried about their cosmetic outcomes and side effects they might experience over and above their chance of clearance and cost. Those with no experience of surgery (compared with experience) valued more the choice of 'imiquimod cream' (£1013 vs £781). All treatment characteristics were significant determinants of treatment choice, and there was significant variability in the population preferences for all of them.
conclusionsPatients with BCC valued more 'imiquimod cream' than alternative 'surgery' options, and all treatment characteristics were important for their choice of care. Understanding how people with a BCC value alternative interventions may better inform the development of health care interventions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.