Perceptions, Experiences, and Behaviors of Patients and their Caregivers with Gastric and Gastroesophageal Cancer Treated with or without Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in the United States

Objectives: Understanding disease and treatment awareness, experiences, and preferences among patients with gastric cancer (GC) and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer and their caregivers can help identify ways to improve treatment effectiveness and quality of life. This understanding becomes increasingly important as the GC/GEJ cancer treatment landscape evolves, with the approval of newer, targeted medications such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd). As such, we evaluated GC/GEJ cancer patient and caregiver perceptions to gain insights in this area. Methods: We conducted 3 focus groups (23 participants – 14 patients with GC/GEJ cancer and 9 caregivers). Thematic analysis helped to identify key themes across groups. Results: Most participants reported limited awareness of early symptoms, biomarker testing, treatment options, and adverse event management strategies. Most wanted better communication from their healthcare providers, especially regarding treatment options and their potential impact on quality of life. Conclusions: Resources and efforts to support GC/GEJ cancer education and communication among patients/caregivers and healthcare providers are needed to improve overall disease care. Specific focus should be given to subtle and early disease symptoms, biomarker testing, and adverse event management to improve quality of life.