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Kuijper SC, Besseling J, Klausch T, Slingerland M, van der Zijden CJ, Kouwenhoven EA, Beerepoot LV, Mohammad NH, Klarenbeek BR, Verhoeven RHA, van Laarhoven HWM. Assessing real-world representativeness of prospective registry cohorts in oncology: insights from patients with esophagogastric cancer. J Clin Epidemiol 2023; 164:65-75. [PMID: 37871837 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to explore the real-world representativeness of a prospective registry cohort with active accrual in oncology, applying a representativeness metric that is novel to health care. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING We used data from the Prospective Observational Cohort Study of Esophageal-Gastric Cancer Patients (POCOP) registry and from the population-based Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). We used Representativeness-indicators (R-indicators) and overall survival to investigate the degree to which the POCOP cohort and clinically relevant subgroups were a representative sample compared to the NCR database. Calibration using inverse propensity score weighting was applied to correct differences between POCOP and NCR. RESULTS The R-indicator of the entire POCOP registry was 0.72 95% confidence interval [0.71, 0.73]. Representativeness of palliative patients was higher than that of potentially curable patients (R-indicator 0.88 [0.85, 0.90] and 0.70 [0.68, 0.71], respectively). Stratification to clinically relevant subgroups based on treatment resulted in higher R-indicators of the respective subgroups. Both after stratification and calibration weighting survival estimates in the POCOP registry were more similar to that in the NCR population. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated the assessment of real-world representativeness of patients who participated in a prospective registry cohort and showed that real-world representativeness improved when the variability in treatment was accounted for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Kuijper
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joost Besseling
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Klausch
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marije Slingerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Laurens V Beerepoot
- Department of Medical Oncology, Elisabeth Tweesteden Ziekenhuis and EMBRAZE Cancer Network, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Nadia Haj Mohammad
- Department of Medical Oncology, Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Rob H A Verhoeven
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Research & Development, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hanneke W M van Laarhoven
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Zhang L, Li H, Wang T, Wang R, Cheng L, Wang G. Real-World Study: A Powerful Tool for Malignant Tumor Research in General Surgery. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5408. [PMID: 36358825 PMCID: PMC9656785 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14215408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Real-world study (RWS) is a method to draw conclusions by collecting and analyzing real-world data under a real clinical background. Compared with traditional randomized controlled trials (RCTs), RWSs are favored by clinicians because of their low cost and good extrapolation. In recent years, RWS has made remarkable achievements in the field of general surgery, especially in the drug treatment of advanced malignant tumors. Therefore, to further understand the main contents of the existing RWS and the application prospect of RWS in the future, this paper systematically reviews the clinical application of RWS in malignant tumors in general surgery in the past three years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
| | - He Li
- Department of Centric Operating Room, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
| | - TianFu Wang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
| | - RuiXin Wang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
| | - Long Cheng
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, China
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3
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Kolsteren EEM, Deuning-Smit E, Chu AK, van der Hoeven YCW, Prins JB, van der Graaf WTA, van Herpen CML, van Oort IM, Lebel S, Thewes B, Kwakkenbos L, Custers JAE. Psychosocial Aspects of Living Long Term with Advanced Cancer and Ongoing Systemic Treatment: A Scoping Review. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14163889. [PMID: 36010883 PMCID: PMC9405683 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14163889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Studies examining the psychosocial impact of living long term on systemic treatment in advanced cancer patients are scarce. This scoping review aimed to answer the research question “What has been reported about psychosocial factors among patients living with advanced cancer receiving life-long systemic treatment?”, by synthesizing psychosocial data, and evaluating the terminology used to address these patients; (2) Methods: This scoping review was conducted following the five stages of the framework of Arksey and O’Malley (2005); (3) Results: 141 articles published between 2000 and 2021 (69% after 2015) were included. A large variety of terms referring to the patient group was observed. Synthesizing qualitative studies identified ongoing uncertainty, anxiety and fear of disease progression or death, hope in treatment results and new treatment options, loss in several aspects of life, and worries about the impact of disease on loved ones and changes in social life to be prominent psychosocial themes. Of 82 quantitative studies included in the review, 76% examined quality of life, 46% fear of disease progression or death, 26% distress or depression, and 4% hope, while few studies reported on adaptation or cognitive aspects. No quantitative studies focused on uncertainty, loss, or social impact; (4) Conclusion and clinical implications: Prominent psychosocial themes reported in qualitative studies were not included in quantitative research using specific validated questionnaires. More robust studies using quantitative research designs should be conducted to further understand these psychological constructs. Furthermore, the diversity of terminology found in the literature calls for a uniform definition to better address this specific patient group in research and in practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evie E. M. Kolsteren
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Psychology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
| | - Esther Deuning-Smit
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Psychology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alanna K. Chu
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Yvonne C. W. van der Hoeven
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Psychology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Judith B. Prins
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Psychology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Winette T. A. van der Graaf
- Department of Medical Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus Medical Center, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Carla M. L. van Herpen
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Oncology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Inge M. van Oort
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Urology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sophie Lebel
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Belinda Thewes
- School of Psychology, Sydney University, Camperdown 2050, Australia
| | - Linda Kwakkenbos
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Psychology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Clinical Psychology, Radboud University, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, IQ Healthcare, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboudumc Center for Mindfulness, Department of Psychiatry, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - José A. E. Custers
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Psychology, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Zhang J, Zhang Z, Huang S, Qiu X, Lao L, Huang Y, Zhang ZJ. Acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2022; 102:154160. [PMID: 35636168 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-related insomnia is a highly prevalent complaint in cancer patients. However, there is no meta-analytic synthesis explored the efficacy of acupuncture for cancer-related insomnia among cancer patients undergoing active cancer treatments. OBJECTIVE This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to explore the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia in people diagnosed with cancer. STUDY DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis of existing randomized controlled trials on acupuncture in the treatment of cancer-related insomnia. METHODS According to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) Statement, we identified and extracted the trials through November 2021 from ten databases and two trials record platforms (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Allied and Complementary Medicine, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Digital Journals, ClinicalTrials, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform). The quality of the trials was assessed using Jadad score and Risk of Bias (2.0). A meta-analysis was synthesized using the random-effects model if the included studies were in high methodological quality. RESULTS A total of 690 studies were identified, with 22 were included in the review, and 6 of them were included in the quantitative synthesis. Studies were highly heterogeneous in terms of participant characteristics and study methodologies. Most studies recruited patients diagnosed with a specific cancer type, and breast cancer patients were the subgroup most represented. The qualitative review of available evidence suggested a beneficial efficacy of acupuncture on sleep without serious adverse events in several studies (55%). The meta-analysis revealed that acupuncture produced a significant improvement in the total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score relative to the wait-list control among breast cancer patients undergoing active cancer treatments (MD -1.92, 95% CI -3.25 to -0.59, p = 0.005). Similar improvement of real and sham acupuncture on PSQI score change post-intervention was found (MD: -0.68, 95% CI: -2.44 to 1.07, p = 0.44). Manual acupuncture had similar effective rate as compared to estazolam immediately post-intervention (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.87 to 1.01, p = 0.09), and had significantly better effective rate than estazolam at 1-week post-intervention follow-up (RR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.43, p = 0.0009). All reported acupuncture related adverse events were mild or moderate in severity. CONCLUSION Acupuncture has great potential to be used to manage cancer-related insomnia for cancer patients or survivors. More studies with rigorous designs and larger sample size are warranted to verify the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for insomnia among people diagnosed with cancer, in particular among those with clinically significant insomnia. REGISTRATION PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021285844).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialing Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Zhinan Zhang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China.
| | - Shengtao Huang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China
| | - Xiaoke Qiu
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China
| | - Lixing Lao
- Virginia University of Integrative Medicine, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Yong Huang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China.
| | - Zhang-Jin Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Chinese Medicine, the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH), Shenzhen, Guangdong 518053, China.
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Mazza M, Piperis M, Aasaithambi S, Chauhan J, Sagkriotis A, Vieira C. Social Media Listening to Understand the Lived Experience of Individuals in Europe With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Search and Content Analysis Study. Front Oncol 2022; 12:863641. [PMID: 35719996 PMCID: PMC9205394 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.863641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Despite a wealth of real-world data on metastatic breast cancer (mBC), insights into the lived experience are lacking. This study aimed to explore how the lived experience of mBC is described on social media. Methods A predefined search string identified posts relevant to the lived experience of mBC from Twitter, patient forums, and blogs across 14 European countries. The final data set was analyzed using content analysis. Results A total of 76,456 conversations were identified between November 1, 2018, and November 30, 2020. Twitter was the most commonly used social media platform across all 76,456 conversations from the raw data set (n = 61,165; 80%). Automated and manual relevancy checks followed by a final random sampling filter identified 820 conversations for content analysis. The majority of data from the raw data set was generated from the United Kingdom (n = 31,346; 41%). From this final data set, 61% of posts were authored by patients, 15% by friends and/or family members of patients, and 14% by caregivers. A total of 686 conversations described the patient journey (n = 686/820; 84%); 64% of these (n = 439) concerned breast cancer treatment, with approximately 40% of discussions regarding diagnosis and tests (n = 274/686) and less than 20% of discussions surrounding disease management (n = 123/686; 18%). Key themes relating to a lack of effective treatment, prolonged survival and associated quality of life, debilitating consequences of side effects, and the social impacts of living with mBC were identified. Conclusions The findings from this study provided an insight into the lived experience of mBC. While retrospective data collection inherently limits the amount of demographic or clinical information that can be obtained from the population sample, social media listening studies offer training to healthcare professionals in communication, the importance of quality of life, organization of healthcare, and even the design of clinical trials. As new targeted therapies are gradually incorporated into clinical practice, innovative technologies, such as social media listening, have the potential to support regulatory procedures and drug toxicity monitoring, as well as provide the patient voice in the regulation of new and existing medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuelita Mazza
- Divison of Medical Senology, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Piperis
- CyberKnife and TomoTherapy Department, Iatropolis Medical Group of Companies, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Jyoti Chauhan
- Insights and Analytics, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Claudia Vieira
- Medical Oncology Department, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil (IPO-PORTO), Porto, Portugal
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Chen Z, Ouyang Q, Wang Y, Wang J, Wang H, Wu X, Zhang P, Huang J, Zheng Y, Cao W, Shao X, Xie N, Tian C, Liang H, Wang C, Zhang Y, Ren D, Wang X. Real-World First-Line Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer Patients: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study in China. Front Oncol 2022; 12:829693. [PMID: 35311126 PMCID: PMC8928103 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.829693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent data on first-line treatment patterns administered to hormone receptor-positive (HR+) advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients in the real-world setting are limited. This study aimed to report the first-line treatment patterns and outcomes of HR+ ABC patients in China. Methods This was a multicenter, noninterventional study. Eligible patients were cytologically or histologically confirmed to have HR+ ABC with ≥2 complete medical records and received first-line therapies between January 2015 and June 2019. Treatment patterns and outcomes were extracted from structured or unstructured electronic medical records. Progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Results In total, 1072 patients with HR+ ABC were enrolled at 6 treatment sites: 327 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) patients, 696 HER2-negative (HER2-) patients and 49 HER2-unknown patients. Overall, 62.41% of patients received first-line chemotherapy (CT), 21.08% received targeted therapy (TT) and 15.49% received endocrine therapy (ET). For HR+/HER2+ patients, 65.14% received TT, 28.44% received CT, and 5.81% received ET. Compared with patients who received TT, patients who received CT alone, had a significantly worse median PFS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] =2.59, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64-4.10, p<0.001). For HR+/HER2- patients, 77.01% received CT, 20.69% received ET and 1.15% received TT. Compared with patients who received ET, patients who received CT with maintenance therapy had a significantly prolonged median PFS (adjusted HR =0.57, 95% CI, 0.44-0.76, p<0.001). Among HR+/HER2- patients who received CT with maintenance treatment, those with maintenance ET had a longer median PFS than those with maintenance CT, but the difference was not significant (adjusted HR=0.92, 95% CI, 0.64-1.33, p=0.66). Conclusions This real-world study demonstrates that CT remains the mainstream first-line treatment option for HR+ patients in China. Among patients with HR+/HER2+ ABC, the majority received first-line TT and experienced a PFS benefit. A high percentage of HR+/HER2- patients received CT as first-line therapy in clinical practice. PFS benefit was significantly longer in patients who received CT with maintenance therapy. Moreover, there was no obvious difference in PFS between maintenance ET and CT. Maintenance ET may be a better choice considering its lower toxicity and better quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanhong Chen
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
| | - Quchang Ouyang
- Department of Breast Cancer, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Yongsheng Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Shandong Cancer Hospital, Jinan, China
| | - Junsheng Wang
- Department of Breast Cancer, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Haixue Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Xiaohong Wu
- Department of Breast Cancer, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Peili Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Baotou Cancer Hospital, Baotou, China
| | - Jian Huang
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
| | - Yabing Zheng
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenming Cao
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiying Shao
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
| | - Ning Xie
- Department of Breast Cancer, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Can Tian
- Department of Breast Cancer, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Hao Liang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Cailing Wang
- Department of Breast Cancer, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Breast Cancer, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Dianquan Ren
- Department of Breast Surgery, Baotou Cancer Hospital, Baotou, China
| | - Xiaojia Wang
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China
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Clarijs ME, Thurell J, Kühn F, Uyl-de Groot CA, Hedayati E, Karsten MM, Jager A, Koppert LB. Measuring Quality of Life Using Patient-Reported Outcomes in Real-World Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients: The Need for a Standardized Approach. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102308. [PMID: 34065805 PMCID: PMC8151772 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains incurable despite treatment improvements. The health-related quality of life is a multidimensional entity which covers physical, psychological and social dimensions. It is an important outcome particularly in patients with metastatic disease, as the primary goal of therapy is no longer curation, but to provide the best possible quality of life weighted against treatment risks and adverse symptoms. Patient-reported outcomes reflecting the quality of life are usually measured with validated questionnaires to evaluate treatment strategies based on symptom burden and to improve care delivery. This review shares insights into the role of patient-reported outcome measurements in MBC patients and describes the heterogeneity of current questionnaires. We conclude that an up-to-date and standardized outcome set is needed, containing relevant domains referring to individual needs to improve the quality of life assessment among MBC patients. This is a prerequisite to learn about how they could impact the clinical care pathway. Abstract Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients are almost always treated to minimize the symptom burden, and to prolong life without a curative intent. Although the prognosis of MBC patients has improved in recent years, the median survival after diagnosis is still only 3 years. Therefore, the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) should play a leading role in making treatment decisions. Heterogeneity in questionnaires used to evaluate the HRQoL in MBC patients complicates the interpretability and comparability of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) globally. In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of PRO instruments used in real-world MBC patients and to discuss important issues in measuring HRQoL. Routinely collecting symptom information using PROs could enhance treatment evaluation and shared decision-making. Standardizing these measures might help to improve the implementation of PROs, and facilitates collecting and sharing data to establish valid comparisons in research. This is a prerequisite to learn about how they could impact the clinical care pathway. In addition, the prognostic value of intensified PRO collection throughout therapy on survival and disease progression is promising. Future perspectives in the field of PROs and MBC are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes E. Clarijs
- Academic Breast Cancer Center, Department of Surgical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Jacob Thurell
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden; (J.T.); (E.H.)
| | - Friedrich Kühn
- Department of Gynecology with Breast Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (F.K.); (M.M.K.)
| | - Carin A. Uyl-de Groot
- Department of Health Technology Assessment, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 3062 PA Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Elham Hedayati
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden; (J.T.); (E.H.)
| | - Maria M. Karsten
- Department of Gynecology with Breast Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (F.K.); (M.M.K.)
| | - Agnes Jager
- Academic Breast Cancer Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Linetta B. Koppert
- Academic Breast Cancer Center, Department of Surgical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +31-107-041-161
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