Understanding First-Line Treatment Perspectives in Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Oncologist Study

Client

A Global Pharmaceutical Company

Service

HCP Qualitative Research / In-Depth Interviews

Sector

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals

Coverage

Brazil

A leading pharmaceutical company partnered with us to understand first-line metastatic breast cancer treatment perspectives among medical oncologists in Brazil. The study focused on oncologists actively treating metastatic breast cancer patients and looked at how they considered the potential role of a treatment within the wider first-line setting.

The research used in-depth qualitative interviews to examine these oncologist perspectives in greater detail, giving the client direct access to the thinking behind treatment considerations and decision-making.

The Challenge

The challenge was to understand how medical oncologists treating metastatic breast cancer viewed the potential role of the treatment in the first-line setting. The client needed more than a surface-level response, with the research designed to look closely at the factors influencing metastatic breast cancer treatment decisions and where the treatment could fit within existing care.

Key areas of focus included:

• Oncologists’ views on the potential use of the treatment in first-line metastatic breast cancer care.

• Considerations influencing how the treatment was evaluated within the existing treatment landscape.

• Perspectives from oncologists actively treating metastatic breast cancer patients.

• The reasoning behind their treatment preferences and decision-making.

• Areas of opportunity or concern that emerged when considering the treatment in an earlier line of therapy.

The qualitative approach was designed to move beyond a simple yes-or-no view of first-line use and capture the physician insights shaping those treatment considerations.

What We Did

We conducted a series of in-depth interviews with medical oncologists in Brazil who were actively treating metastatic breast cancer patients. The qualitative format gave participants the space to explain how they approached treatment considerations within medical oncology, while allowing the research to capture the reasoning behind their views in greater depth.

The study included:

• 10 completed in-depth interviews with medical oncologists.

• Respondents actively treating patients with metastatic breast cancer.

• 60-minute webcam-enabled interviews conducted through Civicom.

• Portuguese-language moderation throughout the study.

• Simultaneous translation across all 10 interviews for client accessibility.

• English transcripts provided for every interview.

• Structured moderator briefing and debriefing around the fieldwork.

• HCP recruitment conducted over a dedicated recruitment period ahead of fieldwork.

• Required pharmaceutical research compliance procedures, including adverse-event training and reporting protocols.

• Rolling delivery of transcripts and analysis materials following the interviews.

The combination of specialist recruitment, local-language interviewing, and real-time translation allowed the client to hear directly from oncologists and better follow how breast cancer therapy was being considered within the first-line setting.

The Impact of Research

The research added depth to the client’s view of treatment perceptions among Brazilian oncologists, showing how participating physicians were thinking about the potential role of the treatment within first-line metastatic breast cancer care.

Key outcomes included:

• A clearer view of how oncologists assessed the treatment within the first-line setting.

• Insight into the considerations shaping their treatment-related views.

• Direct perspectives from oncologists actively treating metastatic breast cancer patients.

• Greater context around where the treatment could potentially fit within existing care.

• Qualitative insight into areas of interest, hesitation, or uncertainty around earlier-line use.

• A stronger basis for interpreting how first-line treatment views were being formed among participating oncologists.

The interviews added more context to these physician perspectives, helping the client interpret not just what oncologists thought, but the reasoning behind those views.

When the question is complex and the audience is highly specialized, the right research can turn deeper understanding into more impactful results. Contact us to take your next healthcare research challenge forward.