Episode # 278 • 02 Dec 2025
Shared Decision Making in GU Cancer Management
When it comes to GU cancers, fear and uncertainty often shape a patient’s treatment decisions well before the clinical data does. Dr. Hung-Jui (Ray) Tan of UNC Health sits down with host Dr. Ruchika Talwar to unpack why decision-making around small renal masses, low-risk prostate cancer, and other GU conditions can be so challenging. Dr. Tan explains the concept of decisional conflict, a patient’s internal uncertainty about the “right” course of action, and how it predicts downstream satisfaction and health outcomes.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:02 - Journey to Decision Science
05:59 - Research on Decision Making
14:41 - Shared Decision Making in Practice
22:39 - Resources for Shared Decision Making
39:54 - Improving Decision-Making Conversations
Resources
- Decisional conflict among patients newly diagnosed with clinical T1 renal masses: a prospective study
- Decisional Quality in Patients With Small Renal Masses
- Impact of renal mass biopsy on decision-making experience for clinical T1 renal masses
- MUSIC Patient and Provider Resources for Shared Decision Making
- P3P - Prostate Cancer Shared Decision Making Resource
- Best Case/Worst Case Treatment Decision Tool
- Better Conversations Treatment Decision Tool
You may also like
More about this episode
Dr. Tan shares practical, evidence-based strategies for improving decision-making conversations, from clearer framing to simple visual aids that reduce anxiety. They discuss how patients often perceive much greater risk of metastasis than what data shows, and why “turning down the temperature” is essential before discussing options. They also touch on evolving tools, including AI, that may improve how clinicians communicate risk and support patients through uncertainty.
The Materials available on BackTable are provided for informational and educational purposes only and are not a substitute for the independent professional judgment of a qualified healthcare professional in diagnosing or treating patients. Any opinions, statements, or views expressed are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, platform, or any affiliated organization.