ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S4206

RTT - Patient experience and quality of life

ESTRO 2025

4104

Digital Poster Exploring Patient-Centred Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer: Insights from Patients and Providers on Pathway Barriers and Technology Integration Naman Julka-Anderson 1,2 , Patrick Kierkegaard 3,4 , Dorothy Gujral 4,5 , Helen McNair 6,3 , Emma Harris 2,3 1 Radiotherapy Physics, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. 2 Imaging for Radiotherapy Adaptation Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom. 3 Cancer Research UK Convergence Science Centre, Imperial College London & The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom. 4 Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. 5 Radiotherapy, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom. 6 Radiotherapy, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom Purpose/Objective: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the 8 th most common cancer in the UK, with 12,800 new cases annually (1). Radiotherapy is a key treatment modality (4), particularly for oropharyngeal cancers (5). Radiological assessment of treatment response is performed months after radiotherapy finishes. This contributes to uncertainty for patients and limits the ability of healthcare professionals (HCPs) to optimise healthcare for the individual in real-time (defined here as during treatment). Emerging ultrasound-based techniques, such as ‘vibrational shear wave elastography’, offer non-ionising, real-time treatment monitoring of tumour response. However, the feasibility and acceptability of introducing these technologies into clinical workflows remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of HNC patients and HCPs to identify barriers, facilitators, and opportunities for integrating ultrasound monitoring into radiotherapy. Material/Methods: This qualitative study employed a multi-phase approach, including semi-structured interviews with 14 patients (aged 50–72) and 27 HCPs (including therapeutic radiographers, oncologists, and nurses) and ethnographic observations. Inductive thematic analysis identified key themes reflecting patient and HCP perspectives (NVivo v.14). Two complementary frameworks were applied to explore these themes to address individual and systemic challenges. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) examined individual-level factors such as perceived usefulness, ease of use, and caring support. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) provided a systemic lens to assess organisational factors, such as collaboration, resource allocation, and protocol development. Together, these frameworks offered insights into the personal and organisational dimensions of integrating real time response monitoring into radiotherapy. Results: Patients described radiotherapy as distressing, with uncertainty about treatment effectiveness and gaps in communication negatively impacting their wellbeing. They valued real-time feedback to reduce anxiety and improve confidence, aligning with performance expectancy (UTAUT). Trust in clinicians and clear communication were critical, reflecting social influence (UTAUT) and cognitive participation (NPT) Table 1. HCPs highlighted the potential of real-time imaging for improving patient experience and enabling, adjustment to their treatment pathway (including all treatment interventions) where necessary linked to performance expectancy (UTAUT) and collective action (NPT). However, they stressed the need for training and infrastructure, reflecting facilitating conditions (UTAUT) and systemic resource barriers (NPT). Both groups emphasised systemic challenges, such as time, staffing, and workflow limitations, as key barriers to implementation.