A leading pharmaceutical client was developing a pipeline agent for later-line use with chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. They sought to understand the patient experience navigating a stage IV diagnosis that, in the case of CRC, often arrests patients in midlife while they are living busy and vibrant family and professional lives. The client also needed a robust understanding of the treatment options available to patients and the scenarios in which patients underwent colon and liver surgeries or resections.

To develop a rigorous and nuanced understanding of the patient experience, a 360-degree patient journey was conducted through in-depth interviews with patients and caregivers and key HCPs including oncologists, oncology nurses, and surgeons. Comprised of in-depth interviews, the study was conducted in the US, EU, and Japan.

I developed an emotional and transactional patient journey that synthesized the steps patients step to seek treatment and process their diagnosis. The journey brought into relief the individual moments of fear, sadness, joy, and sorrow that patients experienced along the way. Key insights included the challenges faced by the increasingly young mCRC patient population who are often caring for young children while scheduling surgeries and receiving chemo. Home health nurses were welcomed sources of comfort for patients often enduring temporary or permanent ostomies and stomas. The journey revealed high unmet needs for patients and an urgency to develop effective treatments.