Patient-reported outcomes item selection for bladder cancer patients in chemo- or immunotherapy

Patient Preferences for First-Line Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: An Application of Multidimensional Thresholding

OBJECTIVES

Patient preferences have the potential to influence the development of new treatments for locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC), and therefore we explored how patients with la/mUC value different attributes of first-line treatments.

METHODS

An online preference survey and multidimensional thresholding (MDT) exercise were developed following a targeted literature review and qualitative interviews with physicians, patients with la/mUC, and their caregivers. Treatment attributes included two benefits (overall response rate [ORR], pain related to bladder cancer [scored 0-100; 100 being the worst pain possible]) and four treatment-related risks (peripheral neuropathy, severe side effects, mild to moderate nausea, mild to moderate skin reactions). A Dirichlet regression was used to estimate average preference weights. Marginal utility and the reduction in ORR that patients would accept in exchange for a 10-point decrease or a 10% decrease in other attributes were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 100 patients were recruited and self-completed the survey and MDT. Mean patient age was 64.9 years (standard deviation, 7.6), 54% were female, and 38% identified as white. All included treatment attributes had a statistically significant impact on preferences. Changes in ORR had the largest impact, followed by cancer-related pain and treatment-related risks. Patients were willing to accept an 8.4% decrease in ORR to reduce their pain level by 10 points or a 7.8% decrease in ORR to reduce the risk of peripheral neuropathy by 10%. For a 10% decrease in severe side effects, mild to moderate nausea, or skin reaction, patients would accept decreases in ORR of 5.5%, 3.7%, or 3.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Of the attributes tested, changes in ORR were most important to patients. Patients made tradeoffs between treatment attributes indicating that a lower ORR may be acceptable for an improvement in other attributes such as reduced cancer-related pain or the risk of treatment-related adverse events.

The iBLAD study: patient-reported outcomes in bladder cancer during oncological treatment: a multicenter national randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are getting widely implemented, but little is known of the impact of applying PROs in specific cancer diagnoses. We report the results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the active use of PROs in patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer (BC) undergoing medical oncological treatment (MOT) with focus on determining the clinical effects of using PROs during chemo- or immunotherapy compared to standard of care.

METHODS

We recruited patients from four departments of oncology from 2019 to 2021. Inclusion criteria were locally advanced or metastatic BC, initiating chemo- or immunotherapy. Patients were randomized 1:1 between answering selected PRO-CTCAE questions electronically once weekly with a built-in alert-algorithm instructing patients of how to handle reported symptoms as a supplement to standard of care for handling of side effects (intervention arm (IA)) vs standard procedure for handling of side effects (control arm (CA)). No real-time alerts were sent to the clinic when PROs exceeded threshold values. Clinicians were prompted to view the completed PROs in the IA at each clinical visit. The co-primary clinical endpoints were hospital admissions and treatment completion rate. Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), quality of life (EORTC's QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BLM30) and dose reductions.

RESULTS

228 patients with BC were included, 76% were male. 141 (62%) of the patients had metastatic disease. 51% of patients in the IA completed treatment vs. 56% of patients in the CA, OR 0.83 (95% CI 0.47-1.44, p = 0.51). 41% of patients in the IA experienced hospitalization vs. 32% in the CA, OR 1.48 (95% CI 0.83-2.65, p = 0.17). OS was comparable between the two arms (IA: median 22.3mo (95% CI 17.0-NR) vs. CA: median 23.1mo (95% CI 17.7-NR). Patient and clinician compliance was high throughout the study period (80% vs 94%).

CONCLUSIONS

This RCT did not show an effect of PRO on completion of treatment, hospitalizations or OS for BC patients during MOT despite a high level of patient and clinician compliance. The lack of real-time response to alerts remains the greatest limitation to this study.

A multi-method approach to selecting PRO-CTCAE symptoms for patient-reported outcome in women with endometrial or ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Women with endometrial or ovarian cancer experience a variety of symptoms during chemotherapy. Patient-Reported outcomes (PROs) can provide insight into the symptoms they experience. A PRO tool tailored to this patient population can help accurately monitor adverse events and manage symptoms. The objective of this study was to identify items in the National Cancer Institute's measurement system Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE®) appropriate for use in a PRO tool for a population of women with endometrial or ovarian cancer undergoing treatment with taxanes (paclitaxel or docetaxel) in combination with carboplatin.

METHODS

A two-phase, sequential multi-methods approach was applied. In phase one, a comprehensive literature search was done to map the toxicity of the applied chemotherapeutics and phase III clinical studies. Phase two, which comprised selecting the PRO-CTCAE items, included discussions with and feedback from a patient advisory board, an additional literature search, and focus group interviews with senior oncologists and specialized oncology nurses. A national expert panel facilitated both phases in terms of carefully select items from the PRO-CTCAE library.

RESULTS

Phase one identified 18 symptoms and phase two, three additional ones, leading to the inclusion of 21 PRO-CTCAE symptoms in the final PRO tool. Since PRO-CTCAE also contains one to three sub-questions on the frequency, severity, and interference with daily activities of symptoms, there were 44 potential items.

CONCLUSIONS

This study describes taking a multi-method approach to selecting items from the PRO-CTCAE library for use in a population of women with endometrial or ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy. By systematically combining diverse approaches, we carefully selected 21 clinically relevant symptoms covered by 44 items in the PRO-CTCAE library. Future studies should investigate the psychometric properties of this PRO tool for women with endometrial or ovarian cancer.

Developing tumor-specific PRO-CTCAE item sets: analysis of a cross-sectional survey in three German outpatient cancer centers

BACKGROUND

To include the patient perspective in the assessment of adverse events in oncology, a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) was developed by the US National Cancer Institute, the so called PRO-CTCAE. The objective of this study was the development of disease-specific PRO-CTCAE item sets for patients with breast cancer (BC), multiple myeloma (MM), and prostate cancer (PC).

METHODS

The cross-sectional survey was conducted at three German outpatient cancer centers. Prevalence and importance of the 78 PRO-CTCAE symptoms were assessed using a patient questionnaire. To select the most relevant PRO-CTCAE items for each tumor entity, symptoms were ranked based on patient answers.

RESULTS

101 patients with BC, 107 with MM, and 66 with PC participated. The final item sets contained 21 symptoms (BC) or 19 symptoms (MM and PC), respectively. Eight symptoms (fatigue, muscle pain, insomnia, joint pain, general pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and swelling) were represented in all three item sets. Fatigue was the symptom with the highest ranking across item sets followed by insomnia. Symptoms with the highest rankings represented in only one item set were symptoms affecting the urogenital system in the PC item set, blurred vision in the BC item set, and decreased appetite in the MM item set.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual PRO-CTCAE item sets for a German patient population were developed for the three tumor entities on the basis of patients' differences in symptom profiles and perceptions. The quality and psychometric criteria of the newly compiled item sets should be evaluated in validation studies.

Patient-reported Outcomes from JAVELIN Bladder 100: Avelumab First-line Maintenance Plus Best Supportive Care Versus Best Supportive Care Alone for Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

In JAVELIN Bladder 100, avelumab first-line maintenance plus best supportive care (BSC) significantly prolonged overall survival (OS; primary endpoint) versus BSC alone in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) without disease progression with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with avelumab plus BSC versus BSC alone.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A randomized phase 3 trial (NCT02603432) was conducted in 700 patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that had not progressed with first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin or carboplatin. PROs were a secondary endpoint.

INTERVENTION

Avelumab plus BSC (n = 350) or BSC alone (n = 350).

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

National Comprehensive Cancer Network/Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bladder Symptom Index-18 (FBlSI-18) and EuroQol five-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics and mixed-effect models. Time to deterioration (TTD; prespecified definition: a ≥3-point decrease from baseline in the FBlSI-18 disease-related symptoms-physical subscale for two consecutive assessments) was evaluated via Kaplan-Meier analyses.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Completion rates for scheduled on-treatment PRO assessments were >90% (overall and average per assessment). Results from descriptive analyses and mixed-effect or repeated-measures models of FBlSI-18 and EQ-5D-5L were similar between arms. TTD was also similar, both in the prespecified analysis (hazard ratio 1.26 [95% confidence interval: 0.90, 1.77]) and in the post hoc analyses including off-treatment assessments and different event definitions. Limitations included the open-label design and limited numbers of evaluable patients at later time points.

CONCLUSIONS

Addition of avelumab first-line maintenance to BSC in patients with aUC that had not progressed with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy prolonged OS, with a relatively minimal effect on quality of life.

PATIENT SUMMARY

In this trial of people with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had benefited from first-line chemotherapy (ie, had stable disease or reduced tumor size), treatment with avelumab maintenance plus best supportive care (BSC) versus BSC alone improved survival significantly, without compromising quality of life, as reported by the patients themselves.

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measurements in chronic and malignant diseases: ten years' experience with PRO-algorithm-based patient-clinician interaction (telePRO) in AmbuFlex

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported Outcome (PRO) measures may be used as the basis for out-patient follow-up instead of fixed appointments. The patients attend follow-up from home by filling in questionnaires developed for that specific aim and patient group (telePRO). The questionnaires are handled in real time by a specific algorithm, which assigns an outcome color reflecting clinical need. The specific questionnaires and algorithms (named solutions) are constructed in a consensus process with clinicians. We aimed to describe AmbuFlex' telePRO solutions and the algorithm outcomes and variation between patient groups, and to discuss possible applications and challenges.

METHODS

TelePRO solutions with more than 100 processed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Data were retrieved together with data from national registers. Characteristics of patients, questionnaires and outcomes were tabulated for each solution. Graphs were constructed depicting the overall and within-patient distribution of algorithm outcomes for each solution.

RESULTS

From 2011 to 2021, 29 specific telePRO solutions were implemented within 24 different ICD-10 groups. A total of 42,015 patients were referred and answered 171,268 questionnaires. An existing applicable instrument with cut-off values was available for four solutions, whereas items were selected or developed ad hoc for the other solutions. Mean age ranged from 10.7 (Pain in children) to 73.3 years (chronic kidney disease). Mortality among referred patients varied between 0 (obesity, asthma, endometriosis and pain in children) and 528 per 1000 patient years (Lung cancer). There was substantial variation in algorithm outcome across patient groups while different solutions within the same patient group varied little.

DISCUSSION

TelePRO can be applied in diseases where PRO can reflect clinical status and needs. Questionnaires and algorithms should be adapted for the specific patient groups and clinical aims. When PRO is used as replacement for clinical contact, special carefulness should be observed with respect to patient safety.

Feasibility, usability and acceptance of weekly electronic patient-reported outcomes among patients receiving pelvic CT- or online MR-guided radiotherapy - A prospective pilot study

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Recruitment for weekly self-reporting of symptoms in radiotherapy is feasible.

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The frequency and time spent on responding to 18 symptomatic AEs weekly is feasible.

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Adherence to weekly self-reporting is high in a population with a sizable proportion of patients age 70 or above.

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Real-time feedback from clinicians is requested by the patients.

Introduction

The potential of patient symptoms being monitored longitudinally in radiotherapy (RT) is still unexploited. When novel technologies like online adaptive MR-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) are evaluated, weekly electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) may add knowledge about the symptom trajectory. This study aimed at evaluating feasibility, usability and acceptance of weekly ePRO among patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy.

Materials and Methods

In a mixed-methods convergent design, a prospective pilot study enrolled patients referred to pelvic radiotherapy with curative intent. Patients used their own device at home to self-report PRO weekly during and four weeks following radiotherapy and week 8, 12, and 24 (paper-questionnaire as an alternative). Feasibility was extracted from the ePRO software. The Patient Feedback Form and patient interviews were used to explore usability and patient acceptance. Patients were informed that clinicians had no access to PRO responses.

Results

In total, 40 patients were included; 32 patients with prostate cancer and 8 with cervical cancer (consent rate 87%), median age 68 (36–76). The majority did digital reporting (93%). 85% of patients responded to ≥80% of the weekly questionnaires with 91% average adherence to weekly completion (60% for follow-up), although lower for patients ≥age 70. Time spent on ePRO (97%) and frequency of reporting (92%) was considered appropriate. Interviews (n = 14) revealed the application was usable and the patients requested real-time feedback from the clinicians.

Conclusion

Recruitment for ePRO during radiotherapy was feasible and adherence to weekly self-reporting high. The digital application was usable and weekly frequency and time spent acceptable. Real-time feedback from the clinicians is requested by the patients.

Selecting a Subset Based on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events for Patient-Reported Symptom Monitoring in Lung Cancer Treatment: Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) item library covers a wide range of symptoms relevant to oncology care. There is a need to select a subset of items relevant to specific patient populations to enable the implementation of PRO-CTCAE-based symptom monitoring in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to develop a PRO-CTCAE-based subset relevant to patients with lung cancer that can be used for monitoring during multidisciplinary clinical practice.

METHODS

The PRO-CTCAE-based subset for patients with lung cancer was generated using a mixed methods approach based on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer guidelines for developing questionnaires, comprising a literature review and semistructured interviews with both patients with lung cancer and health care practitioners (HCPs). Both patients and HCPs were queried on the relevance and impact of all PRO-CTCAE items. The results were summarized, and after a final round of expert review, a selection of clinically relevant items for patients with lung cancer was made.

RESULTS

A heterogeneous group of patients with lung cancer (n=25) from different treatment modalities and HCPs (n=22) participated in the study. A final list of eight relevant PRO-CTCAE items was created: decreased appetite, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, sadness, and pain (general).

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the literature and both professional and patient input, a subset of PRO-CTCAE items has been identified for use in patients with lung cancer in clinical practice. Future work is needed to confirm the validity and effectiveness of this PRO-CTCAE-based lung cancer subset internationally and in real-world clinical practice settings.

Development of patient-reported outcomes item set to evaluate acute treatment toxicity to pelvic online magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

A new technology in cancer treatment, the MR-linac, provides online magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) that combines real-time visualization of the tumor and surrounding tissue with radiation therapy to deliver treatment more accurately. Online MRgRT makes it possible to minimize treatment volume, potentially reducing acute treatment toxicity. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) add the patient perspective to evaluating treatment toxicity related to new technology. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to develop and explore the content validity of a set of PRO items to evaluate acute pelvic toxicity to radiotherapy including online MRgRT.

METHODS

A literature review and chart audit were conducted to identify symptomatic adverse events (AEs) to be selected from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) library and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) item library. To validate the content, the item set was applied in a prospective pilot cohort of patients referred for primary pelvic RT with curative intent. Patients reported symptoms weekly during RT (4-8 weeks) and the subsequent 4 weeks. Follow-up reports were collected at 8, 12, and 24 weeks after RT. To ensure symptom coverage clinician-reported toxicity and individual patient interviews were conducted. The symptomatic AEs were included in the final item set if ≥20% of patients reported them.

RESULTS

Eighteen acute symptomatic AEs were selected for the initial item set. Forty patients (32 prostate cancer, 8 cervical cancer) were included in the pilot study. Patients with prostate cancer and those with cervical cancer both reported all 18 acute AEs. However, vomiting was not reported by > 20% of patients thus excluded from the item set. Adding a few diagnosis-specific AEs to the final item set was required for both prostate and cervical cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS

A PRO item set for patients with pelvic cancer treated with radiotherapy with a curative intent was developed and content validity explored. In the pilot study, the item set captured the most common acute symptomatic AEs for patients with prostate and cervical cancer related to pelvic RT including online MRgRT. Further validation of the content in broader disease sites would be needed in future studies.

Patient-Reported Outcomes, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Clinical Outcomes for Urothelial Cancer Patients Receiving Chemo- or Immunotherapy: A Real-Life Experience

Patients with urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) often have comorbidities, which cause trouble for the completion of oncological treatment, and little is known about their quality of life (QoL). The aim of the present study was to obtain and describe patient-reported outcomes (PRO) and QoL data from UCC patients in the treatment for locally advanced muscle-invasive or metastatic UCC. A total of 79 patients with UCC completed four questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BLM30, HADS, and select PRO-CTCAE™ questions) once weekly during their treatment. From those, 26 patients (33%) underwent neoadjuvant treatment for local disease while 53 patients (67%) were treated for metastatic disease. Of all patients, 54% did not complete the planned treatment due to progression, nephrotoxicity, death, or intolerable symptoms during treatment. The five most prevalent PRO-CTCAE grade ≥ 2 symptoms were frequent urination (37%), fatigue (35%), pain (31%), dry mouth (23%), and swelling of the arms or legs (23%). The baseline mean overall QoL was 61 (±SD 24) for all patients (neoadjuvant (73, ±SD 19) and metastatic (54, ±SD 24)) and remained stable over the course of treatment for both groups. A stable overall QoL was observed for the patients in this study. More than half of the patients did not, however, complete the planned treatment. Further supportive care is warranted for bladder cancer patients.

Electronic reporting of patient-reported outcomes in a fragile and comorbid population during cancer therapy - a feasibility study

Background

Electronic collection of patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) is becoming widespread in health care, but the implementation into routine cancer care during therapy remains to be seen. Especially, little is known of the use and success of electronic reporting during active cancer treatment in fragile and comorbid patients. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of ePRO and its incorporation into routine cancer care, measured by physician compliance, for a fragile and comorbid bladder cancer (BC) population receiving chemo- or immunotherapy.

Methods

All BC patients initiating treatment for locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer at Rigshospitalet or Herlev Hospital, Denmark, were approached during an 8 month period. Exclusion criteria were patients not speaking Danish or not being signed up for electronic communication with health authorities. Enrolled patients were prompted to complete weekly ePROs from home. Patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s general quality of life questionnaire, QLQ-C30, and the module for muscle-invasive bladder cancer QLQ-BLM30, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS, and selected items from the Patient Reported-Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE), in total 158 questions weekly. If failing to report when prompted, patients were sent two e-mail reminders. Patients were informed that the physician would have an overview of the reported ePROs at their following clinical visits. Physicians were at all clinical visits informed to look at the ePROs in a software solution separate from the medical records. Physicians were logged to check their compliance to the task. No continuous surveillance of ePROs was established.

Results

Of 91 patients screened for enrolment, 19 patients (21%) were not found eligible for standard treatment, eight patients (9%) were not signed up for electronic communication with the health authorities and nine patients (10%) declined participation. Another six patients did not meet other inclusion criteria. In total 49 BC patients were enrolled, 29 initiating chemotherapy and 20 initiating immunotherapy. A total of 466 electronic questionnaires were completed. The overall adherence of the patients to complete ePROs was at an expected level for an elderly cancer population (75%) and remained above 70% until the 6th cycle of treatment. The physician’ compliance was in contrast low (0–52%) throughout the course of treatment.

Conclusions

Electronic reporting of PROs is feasible in a fragile and comorbid population of patients during routine active cancer treatment. Despite clear implementation strategies the physician compliance remained low throughout the study proving the need for further implementation strategies.

Patient reported symptoms associated with quality of life during chemo- or immunotherapy for bladder cancer patients with advanced disease

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BC) patients with advanced disease have poor outcomes. The use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) could lead to improvements in symptom management and hence quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study is to report correlations between selected PROs and QoL and thus to present symptoms that influence QoL. Identification of these symptoms during treatment can lead to earlier symptom management and thus secure improvements in QoL.

METHODS

BC patients in chemo- or immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic disease reported weekly PROs for the duration of their treatment. The PROs included EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BLM30 and 45 selected PRO-CTCAE items. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed for all PRO-CTCAE items and QLQ-C30 global QoL and subdomains.

RESULTS

In this study, 78 BC patients reported 724 questionnaires. Spearman's analysis showed significant correlations between almost all PRO-CTCAE items and the expected domain of QoL. The PRO-CTCAE items with the strongest correlations with QoL were anxiety (F, frequency item) and emotional function (rs  = -0.603, P < .0001), concentration (S, severity item) and cognitive function (rs  = -0.704, P < .0001), discouraged (F) and emotional function (rs  = -0.659, P < .0001), fatigue (S) and role function (rs  = -0.659, P < .0001) and sad (F) and emotional function (rs  = -0.711, P < .0001). The weakest correlations were found for the PRO-CTCAE items urinary frequency, incontinence and urge, all with variations in the direction and significance of the correlations.

CONCLUSIONS

This study delivers information on which PROs may influence QoL for patients in clinical trials or daily clinic. Psychological issues have a strong impact on QoL and should be dealt with during treatment to secure the best possible QoL for BC patients.