A Review of Meaningful Change Thresholds for EORTC QLQ-C30 and FACT-G Within Oncology

OBJECTIVES

This literature review provides an overview of meaningful change thresholds for the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) used across hematological cancers and solid tumors (melanoma, lung, bladder, and prostate).

METHODS

Embase, MEDLINE, and PubMed were searched to identify relevant oncology publications from 2016 to 2021. Label claims from the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for 7 recently approved drugs (pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, glasdegib, gilteritinib, tisagenlecleucel, axicabtagene ciloleucel, and daratumumab plus hyaluronidase-fihj) were reviewed.

RESULTS

Publications providing guidance on meaningful change thresholds for the QLQ-C30 displayed a growing trend away from broad "legacy" thresholds of 10 points for all QLQ-C30 scales), toward deriving "contemporary" thresholds (eg, subscale specific, population specific). Contemporary publications generally provide guidance on selecting thresholds for specific scales that account for improved or worsening thresholds (eg, QLQ-C30 subscales). This trend was not clear for FACT-G, with less new guidance available. Most clinical trials used in regulatory label submissions have used thresholds of 10 points for the QLQ-C30 subscales and 3 to 7 points for the FACT-G total score. Despite the availability of more recent guidelines, contemporary meaningful change thresholds seem slow to emerge in the published literature and regulatory labels.

CONCLUSIONS

Trialists should consider using contemporary thresholds, rather than legacy thresholds, for QLQ-C30 endpoints. Thresholds derived for a similar patient-population should be used where available. Further work is required to provide these across a broader range of cancer sites.

Lisocabtagene maraleucel for second-line relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma: patient-reported outcomes from the PILOT study

In the single-arm, open-label, multicenter, phase II PILOT study, second-line treatment with the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) for whom hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was not intended resulted in high response rates, durable responses, and a safety profile consistent with previous reports. Here, we analyzed changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients who received liso-cel in PILOT. Patients received liso-cel, an autologous, CD19-directed, 4-1BB CAR T-cell product administered at equal target doses of CD8+ and CD4+ CAR+ T cells, for a total target dose of 100×10⁶ CAR+ T cells. HRQOL, a secondary endpoint of PILOT, was assessed as prespecified using three patient-reported outcome instruments (EORTC QLQ-C30; FACT-LymS; EQ-5D-5L). Evaluable datasets for the EORTC QLQ-C30, FACT-LymS, and EQ-5D-5L health utility index, and visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) included 56 (92%), 49 (80%), 55 (90%), and 54 (89%) patients, respectively. Clinically meaningful improvement was achieved across most post-treatment visits for EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue and FACT-LymS. Overall mean changes from baseline through day 545 showed significant improvements in EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue, pain, and appetite loss, FACT-LymS, and EQ VAS. In within-patient analyses, clinically meaningful improvements or maintenance in scores were observed in most patients at days 90, 180, 270, and 365. HRQOL was maintained or improved in patients who received liso-cel as second-line therapy in PILOT. These findings support liso-cel as a preferred second-line treatment in patients with R/R LBCL not intended for HSCT (clinicaltrials gov. Identifier: NCT03483103).

Administering selected subscales of patient-reported outcome questionnaires to reduce patient burden and increase relevance: a position statement on a modular approach

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires considered in this paper contain multiple subscales, although not all subscales are equally relevant for administration in all target patient populations. A group of measurement experts, developers, license holders, and other scientific-, regulatory-, payer-, and patient-focused stakeholders participated in a panel to discuss the benefits and challenges of a modular approach, defined here as administering a subset of subscales out of a multi-scaled PRO measure. This paper supports the position that it is acceptable, and sometimes preferable, to take a modular approach when administering PRO questionnaires, provided that certain conditions have been met and a rigorous selection process performed. Based on the experiences and perspectives of all stakeholders, using a modular approach can reduce patient burden and increase the relevancy of the items administered, and thereby improve measurement precision and eliminate wasted data without sacrificing the scientific validity and utility of the instrument. The panelists agreed that implementing a modular approach is not expected to have a meaningful impact on item responses, subscale scores, variability, reliability, validity, and effect size estimates; however, collecting additional evidence for the impact of context may be desirable. It is also important to recognize that adequate rationale and evidence (e.g., of fit-for-purpose status and relevance to patients) and a robust consensus process that includes patient perspectives are required to inform selection of subscales, as in any other measurement circumstance, is expected. We believe that the considerations discussed within (content validity, administration context, and psychometric factors) are relevant across multiple therapeutic areas.

Analysis of patient-reported experiences up to 2 years after receiving idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: longitudinal findings from the phase 2 KarMMa trial

OBJECTIVE

To understand the long-term experience of patients receiving ide-cel chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the pivotal phase 2 KarMMa trial.

METHODS

This qualitative study analyzed semi-structured patient interviews 6-24 months after ide-cel infusion. Thematic analysis with quantitative and longitudinal analyses explored patient perceptions of ide-cel treatment experience, advantages and disadvantages, and long-term health-related quality of life impact. Patient journeys were developed from narrative analysis of perceived treatment benefits with known remission length.

RESULTS

Interviews with 45 patients 6-24 months postinfusion were analyzed; all reported ≥ 1 ide-cel treatment advantage, most often related to efficacy (n = 42/45, 93%), few or no side effects (n = 35/45, 78%), and avoidance of other treatments (n = 34/45, 76%). Patients generally reported 6-month improvements in physical health, functioning, emotional well-being, social life, and outlook on the future; these improvements mostly remained "stable" through 18 and 24 months. The most common patient journeys comprised physical, functioning, or emotional benefit with remission < 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Longitudinal analysis of patient experiences showed sustained benefits and preference for ide-cel up to 24 months after treatment. Trial Registration Number and Date: NCT03361748. December 5, 2017.

Adjuvant Therapy of Nivolumab Combined With Ipilimumab Versus Nivolumab Alone in Patients With Resected Stage IIIB-D or Stage IV Melanoma (CheckMate 915)

PURPOSE

Ipilimumab and nivolumab have each shown treatment benefit for high-risk resected melanoma. The phase III CheckMate 915 trial evaluated adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus nivolumab alone in patients with resected stage IIIB-D or IV melanoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this randomized, double-blind, phase III trial, 1,833 patients received nivolumab 240 mg once every 2 weeks plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg once every 6 weeks (916 patients) or nivolumab 480 mg once every 4 weeks (917 patients) for ≤ 1 year. After random assignment, patients were stratified by tumor programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and stage. Dual primary end points were recurrence-free survival (RFS) in randomly assigned patients and in the tumor PD-L1 expression-level < 1% subgroup.

RESULTS

At a minimum follow-up of approximately 23.7 months, there was no significant difference between treatment groups for RFS in the all-randomly assigned patient population (hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.77 to 1.09; P = .269) or in patients with PD-L1 expression < 1% (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.14). In all patients, 24-month RFS rates were 64.6% (combination) and 63.2% (nivolumab). Treatment-related grade 3 or 4 adverse events were reported in 32.6% of patients in the combination group and 12.8% in the nivolumab group. Treatment-related deaths were reported in 0.4% of patients in the combination group and in no nivolumab-treated patients.

CONCLUSION

Nivolumab 240 mg once every 2 weeks plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg once every 6 weeks did not improve RFS versus nivolumab 480 mg once every 4 weeks in patients with stage IIIB-D or stage IV melanoma. Nivolumab showed efficacy consistent with previous adjuvant studies in a population resembling current practice using American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition, reaffirming nivolumab as a standard of care for melanoma adjuvant treatment.

Impact of acute toxicities associated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)

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Background: TRANSCEND NHL 001 (TRANSCEND; NCT02631044) evaluated efficacy and safety of the CAR T cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) as third-line or later treatment in patients with R/R LBCL. Prior research demonstrated improvements in HRQOL with liso-cel; however, evidence of HRQOL in the context of CAR T cell‒specific adverse events was not evaluated. In TRANSCEND, the incidence of all-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurological events (NE) was 42% and 30%, respectively. This analysis examined longitudinal HRQOL in the presence of CRS and NEs among clinical responders. Methods: Patients in TRANSCEND who responded to liso-cel treatment (n = 137) were stratified into 3 groups: no CRS or NEs, either CRS or NEs but not both, and both CRS and NEs. HRQOL was evaluated with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer core quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and EQ-5D-5L. Summary statistics and change from baseline (liso-cel infusion; CFBL) were calculated for each time point. Results: For liso-cel‒treated patients who responded to treatment and developed CRS, NEs, or both, clinically relevant QLQ-C30 functional (physical, role, and cognitive) and fatigue scores indicated a noticeable nadir (low point) around 1 month post-baseline after liso-cel infusion, followed by a trend toward restoration of baseline status, generally achieved by 2 months after baseline. The primary difference between CRS/NE subgroups appeared to be the extent of decline or depth of the nadir. Patients with no CRS or NEs after liso-cel infusion did not experience an initial decrease in HRQOL/increase in symptom severity and instead showed a trend toward improvement over time (Table; QLQ-C30 fatigue as an illustrative example). This was also observed for EQ-5D-5L index scores. Conclusions: These findings support the anecdotal clinical experience that CRS/NEs are not associated with any long-term detriment in overall HRQOL and indicate a need for discussion with patients before treatment and early symptom monitoring and management of CRS or NEs. Clinical trial information: NCT02631044. [Table: see text]

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) as second-line (2L) treatment (tx) for R/R large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) in patients (pt) not intended for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) from the phase 2 PILOT study

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Background: PILOT (NCT03483103) evaluated liso-cel, an autologous, CD19-directed, CAR T cell product, as 2L tx in pts with R/R LBCL not intended for HSCT. We analyzed changes in health-related quality of life (QOL) with respect to functioning and symptoms in PILOT. Methods: Adults with R/R LBCL after first-line tx were eligible. Pts were deemed not candidates for high-dose chemotherapy and HSCT by their physician and met ≥ 1 frailty criteria: age ≥ 70 yr, ECOG PS = 2, DLCO ≤ 60%, LVEF < 50%, CrCl < 60 mL/min, or ALT/AST > 2 × ULN. Pts completed EORTC QLQ-C30, FACT-LymS, and EQ-5D-5L (health utility index [HUI] and VAS) at screening (baseline [BL]), pre-tx (within 7 days before lymphodepletion), preinfusion on day of liso-cel infusion (Day 1), post-tx on Days 29, 60, 90, 180, 270, 365, 545, and 730/end of study, or at PD. The PRO-evaluable set included all pts with BL and ≥ 1 post-BL assessments. Linear mixed-effects models for repeated measures assessed the least squares (LS) mean change from BL for visits with ≥ 10 pts. Meaningful change from BL was calculated using responder definitions (in points): 10 for EORTC QLQ-C30, 3 for FACT-LymS, 0.08 for EQ-5D-5L HUI, and 7 for EQ-VAS. Results: Among the PRO-evaluable set, completion rates were high (≥ 80%) across most visits for all measures. For EORTC QLQ-C30, mean BL fatigue was meaningfully worse than in a general noncancer population (difference of > 10 points). Overall LS mean changes through Day 545 showed significant improvements in EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue and pain, FACT-LymS, and EQ-VAS (Table). Improvement for lymphoma symptoms was also clinically meaningful. Fatigue improvement was clinically meaningful with a more sensitive minimal important difference of 4 (Cocks et al, 2012). Significant worsening was not observed for any outcome. In individual patient-level analysis, 70% of pts demonstrated meaningful improvement in FACT-LymS at month 6. Conclusions: Liso-cel meaningfully improved fatigue and FACT-LymS scores without negatively impacting other QOL measures. These data support the clinical evidence of liso-cel as a potential new 2L tx in pts with R/R LBCL not intended for HSCT. Clinical trial information: NCT03483103. [Table: see text]

Health-related Quality of Life with Adjuvant Nivolumab After Radical Resection for High-risk Muscle-invasive Urothelial Carcinoma: Results from the Phase 3 CheckMate 274 Trial

BACKGROUND

The programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor nivolumab prolongs disease-free survival in patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC).

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of nivolumab on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after radical resection in patients with MIUC.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We used data from 709 patients in CheckMate 274 (NCT02632409; 282 with programmed death ligand 1 [PD-L1] expression ≥1%), an ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of adjuvant nivolumab.

INTERVENTION

Intravenous injection of nivolumab (240 mg) or placebo every 2 wk for ≤1 yr.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

HRQoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EQ-5D-3L. Linear mixed-effect models for repeated measures were used to compare nivolumab and placebo on changes in HRQoL. Time to confirmed deterioration (TTCD) of HRQoL was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

In the full HRQoL evaluable population, no clinically meaningful deterioration of HRQoL was observed in either treatment arm. Moreover, nivolumab was noninferior to placebo on changes from baseline for all main outcomes. The median TTCD for fatigue was 41.0 wk for nivolumab and 44.3 wk for placebo (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89-1.39). For the visual analog scale, the median TTCD was not reached for nivolumab and it was 57.6 wk for placebo (HR: 0.78, 95% CI, 0.61-1.00). The median TTCD for the other main outcomes was not reached in either treatment arm. The findings were similar for patients with PD-L1 expression ≥1%.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that nivolumab did not compromise the HRQoL of patients with MIUC in CheckMate 274.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Nivolumab is being researched as a new treatment for patients with bladder cancer (urothelial carcinoma). We found that nivolumab maintained quality of life while increasing the time until cancer returns in patients whose bladder cancer had spread or grown and who had unsuccessfully tried platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Health-related quality of life with idecabtagene vicleucel in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma

Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel), a B-cell maturation antigen-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, showed deep, durable responses in patients with triple-class exposed, relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in the phase 2 KarMMa (Efficacy and Safety Study of bb2121 in Subjects With Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma) trial. We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among KarMMa patients. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life C30 Questionnaire and its supplementary 20-item multiple myeloma module, as well as the EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level instrument, were administered at screening, baseline (≤72 hours before or same day as lymphodepletion), day of ide-cel treatment, and after ide-cel treatment. Mean changes from baseline that exceeded the predetermined threshold of minimally important difference were deemed clinically meaningful. The proportions of patients experiencing clinically meaningful changes in HRQoL were assessed using within-patient change thresholds. Time to stable improvement (≥2 consecutive visits with clinically meaningful HRQoL improvements) was analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier method. A total of 126 (98%) of 128 patients treated with ide-cel were included in the HRQoL analysis. Pretreatment baseline RRMM burden was high and meaningfully worse than that in the age- and sex-weighted general population. Statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements from baseline were observed by month 1 for pain (-8.9) and disease symptoms (-10.2), and by month 2 for fatigue (-7.2), physical functioning (6.1), cognitive functioning (6.7), and global health status/QoL (8.0). Clinically meaningful improvements in fatigue, pain, and physical functioning were most prominent at months 9, 12, and 18, respectively, and were sustained through 15 to 18 months after ide-cel treatment. For triple-class exposed patients with RRMM with a poor prognosis and few treatment options, a single ide-cel infusion provides early, sustained, statistically significant, and clinically meaningful improvements in HRQoL. This study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03361748.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on patient preferences for adjuvant treatment in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC): A multi-country discrete choice experiment (DCE)

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Background: Patient preference is an important factor in selecting appropriate treatment choices. Although underutilized, the standard of care for MIUC is with NAC, whereas evidence for adjuvant therapy is less clear. With the introduction of novel adjuvant treatments such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, treatment options are expected to expand. This study examines whether preferences for adjuvant therapy is impacted in MIUC patients receiving NAC. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey included patients ≥ 18 years old who self-reported being diagnosed with MIUC and underwent radical cystectomy or nephroureterectomy without recurrence. Patients were recruited from the US, UK, Canada, France, and Germany (May–Sep 2021). A DCE using 2 adjuvant treatment profiles included 8 attributes: cancer-free survival, overall survival (OS), hypothyroidism requiring life-long hormone therapy, risk of a serious adverse event (requiring medical intervention/possible hospitalization), nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, and a dosing regimen (frequency of treatment and monitoring); an opt-out option of no treatment was also shown. Patients were grouped according to self-reported receipt of NAC. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical Bayesian logistic model with estimated preference weights were used. Relative importance estimates (mean ± standard error), or how much the attribute ranges accounted for the variation in preferences, were computed for each attribute. Bivariate comparisons used t-tests. Results: This interim analysis identified 205 patients (70.7% of target sample; US, n = 99; Germany, n = 60; UK, n = 31; Canada, n = 14; France, n = 1). Of 82 patients (40.0%) receiving NAC, 32.7% were patients > 65 years and 55.1% were male; receipt of NAC did not differ by age ( P = 0.248) or sex ( P = 0.731). Patients were willing to accept increased risk in toxicities for increased treatment efficacy. Specifically, mean relative importance of treatment attributes showed that difference in median OS (25 months compared to 78 months) was most important (34.6% ± 1.6), although less so for those who did not receive NAC (30.2% ± 2.4 vs 37.5% ± 2.0; P = 0.022). Patients chose an adjuvant treatment option over ‘no treatment’ 91% of the time, with similar findings by NAC status. Conclusions: Preliminary data indicates that receipt of NAC impacts preferences for adjuvant treatment attributes. However, regardless of these attributes, patients still preferred adjuvant treatment over none. These results suggest that providing standard of care NAC does not reduce patient preference for adjuvant therapy; rather, patient preferences for adjuvant treatment attributes vary by treatment history, with implications for improving quality of care and outcomes.

Association of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and treatment safety with nivolumab (NIVO) in patients (pts) with resected stage IIIB/C or IV melanoma: Analysis of CheckMate 238 four-year follow-up (FU) data

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Background: In CheckMate 238, NIVO 3 mg/kg vs ipilimumab 10 mg/kg showed significantly longer recurrence-free survival and a lower rate of grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) in pts with completely resected stage IIIB/C or IV melanoma. This analysis assessed the association of long-term HRQoL and TRAEs in NIVO-treated pts in this trial. Methods: HRQoL was assessed using EORTC QLQ-C30 (global health status [GHS] and physical/emotional functioning) and EQ-5D-3L visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaires administered after randomization, during 1 y of treatment (wk 5, 7, 11, 17, 25, 37, and 49), at posttreatment FU visits 1 and 2 (FU1 and FU2; 30 and 114 days after last dose), and at survival FU visits up to 4 y after last dose (EQ-5D-3L only). NIVO-treated pts were grouped based on whether they had experienced a grade 3–4 TRAE, any-grade TRAE leading to NIVO discontinuation, or any-grade select (immune-related) TRAE on treatment or up to 100 days after last dose. Longitudinal change from baseline (BL) in scores was assessed for pts with and without TRAEs having patient-reported outcome data at BL and ≥1 post-BL assessment (HRQoL population) using descriptive statistics. QLQ-C30 subscale and VAS changes of 10 and 7, respectively, were considered clinically meaningful. Results: The HRQoL population comprised 446 of 453 pts randomized to NIVO. EQ-5D-3L assessments were completed by 81% of survivors (263/324) after 4 y post-randomization. Grade 3–4 TRAEs occurred in 17% of NIVO-treated pts (77/446). A slight trend toward deterioration of GHS from BL on treatment was noted, with clinically meaningful deterioration at posttreatment FU1 (mean [SD], −13.8 [25.0]) and FU2 (−10.3 [22.0]; last available time point). For the VAS, a similar trend on treatment was noted (−6.9 [28.3] at wk 11), with a clinically meaningful deterioration after NIVO discontinuation (−9.9 [27.0] at FU1) and a return to BL level by the start of survival FU. For pts without grade 3–4 TRAEs, mean change from BL scores remained stable (ie, no clinically meaningful deterioration on treatment or during FU). Any-grade TRAEs led to NIVO discontinuation in 9% of pts (42/446); HRQoL findings were similar to those for pts with grade 3–4 TRAEs. The most common any-grade TRAE was fatigue (35%). No clinically meaningful deterioration in VAS was noted for any select TRAE during FU except for hyperthyroidism (8%), with which deterioration occurred at FU1. EORTC QLQ-C30 physical and emotional functioning results will be presented. Conclusions: In CheckMate 238, pts with TRAEs showed early HRQoL deterioration after NIVO discontinuation, but HRQoL returned to BL levels with no sustained deterioration during survival FU. Overall, HRQoL was maintained on treatment and over a long-term FU period in pts with resected melanoma receiving adjuvant NIVO. Clinical trial information: NCT02388906.

Impact of recurrence on health-related quality of life in patients at high risk of recurrence after radical surgery for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC): Results from the phase 3 CheckMate 274 trial

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Background: Patients (pts) undergoing radical surgery for MIUC face a high risk of disease recurrence. Recurrence is associated with worse survival, but its effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is unclear. This post hoc analysis assessed the impact of recurrence on HRQoL using data from the phase 3 CheckMate 274 trial. Methods: Pts who had undergone radical surgery for high-risk MIUC (≤ 120 days previously) were randomized 1:1 to nivolumab 240 mg Q2W or placebo for ≤ 1 year. HRQoL was assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-3L every 4–6 weeks during treatment; 35 and 115 days after the last dose; and every 3 months after that until the end of the study (EQ-5D-3L only). The analysis included pts with a valid HRQoL assessment at baseline and at ≥1 post-baseline visits. Confirmed deterioration in HRQoL was defined as worsening exceeding an a priori points threshold (± 10 for the EORTC QLQ-C30 domains, –7 for the EQ-5D visual analogue scale [VAS]) at ≥ 2 consecutive visits. Recurrence was classified as local only or distant (with or without local recurrence). The effect of recurrence on HRQoL deterioration was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression with recurrence as a time-dependent covariate. The models controlled for treatment arm and baseline HRQoL score, and were stratified by PD-L1 expression, pathologic nodal status, and use of neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Results: The analysis included 645 pts for EORTC QLQ-C30, of whom 71 (11%) had local recurrence only and 136 (21%) had distant recurrence during the HRQoL assessment period; and 648 pts for EQ-5D-3L. with recurrence had a significantly higher risk of confirmed deterioration in all HRQoL domains than those without recurrence (see table). However, hazard ratios were consistently greater for distant recurrence than for local recurrence across all HRQoL domains. For local recurrence only, a higher risk of confirmed deterioration in HRQoL compared to no recurrence was observed only for global health status/QoL. Conclusions: Recurrence, particularly distant recurrence, had a significant, negative impact on HRQoL. This suggests that treatment delaying recurrence after radical surgery for high-risk MIUC may prevent or delay HRQoL deterioration in these pts. Clinical trial information: NCT02632409. [Table: see text]

Evaluation of Minimal Important Difference and Responder Definition in the EORTC QLQ-PAN26 Module for Assessing Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Surgically Resected Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Although the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-PAN26 is widely used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL), its group-level minimal important difference (MID) and individual-level responder definition (RD) are not established; we calculated MID and RD using HRQoL data from the APACT trial in patients with surgically resected pancreatic cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODS

HRQoL was assessed using EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-PAN26 at baseline, during treatment, at end of treatment, and during follow-up. Distribution-based MIDs were estimated using 0.5 × baseline standard deviation (SD) and reliability-based (intraclass correlation) standard error of measurement (SEM). Anchor-based MIDs and RDs (anchor, QLQ-C30 overall health) were estimated using a linear mixed model.

RESULTS

Overall, 772 patients completed the baseline assessment. Distribution-based MIDs (0.5 × SD) for QLQ-PAN26 scales ranged from 12 to 13, except hepatic symptoms (≈8), pancreatic pain (≈10), and sexual dysfunction (≈17); those for stand-alone items ranged from 12 to 16. The SEM values were similar. Among scales/items sufficiently correlated (r > 0.30) with the anchor, MIDs ranged from 5 to 9. Within-patient QLQ-PAN26 RD estimates varied by direction (deterioration vs. improvement) and scale/item, but all values were lower than the true possible within-patient change (e.g. 16.7 points for a two-item scale) given a one-category change on the raw scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with distribution-based MIDs, anchor-based MIDs were twice as sensitive in detecting group-level changes in QLQ-PAN26 scales/items. For interpreting clinically meaningful change, RDs cannot be less than the true minimum of the scale. The group-level MID may help clinicians/researchers interpret HRQoL changes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01964430; Eudra CT 2013-003398-91.

Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121), a BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapy: Qualitative analyses of pretreatment patient interviews in the KarMMa trial

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Background: Outcomes remain poor in triple-class exposed (to an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 antibody) patients (pts) with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), and there is no standard of care. Ide-cel, a BCMA-directed CAR T cell therapy, showed deep, durable responses in heavily pretreated RRMM pts in the pivotal phase 2 KarMMa trial ( J Clin Oncol 38:2020. Suppl; abstr 8503). Limited data are available on pts’ experience with prior therapies and expectations on ide-cel. By embedding pt interviews in KarMMa, we assessed pts’ initial knowledge of and expectations on ide-cel beyond pt-reported outcome measures prior to ide-cel therapy. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in triple-class exposed pts refractory to their last regimen who entered the KarMMa trial (NCT03361748). Pts were invited to participate in the optional interview component that included up to 11 interviews. We present results of the first interviews that occurred between initial consent and leukapheresis. The interview topics were pts’ initial knowledge of ide-cel, decision making, expectations, hopes, and concerns, and current well-being. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Results: Forty-seven pts from 14 clinical sites participated in the interviews. Most pts were able to describe the overall process of CAR T cell therapy and one third first heard about the therapy from their local healthcare professionals. According to patients, key decision-making factors were potential outcomes with ide-cel, recommendation from a doctor, and lack of other options. The most frequently perceived differences between ide-cel and prior treatments are shown (Table). Pt hopes were mostly focused on remission and improved quality of life. Most pts reported some restrictions on their daily activities due to the disease. Conclusions: RRMM pts need new treatment options. Most pts reported the limitations of prior therapies, expectations on ide-cel, impact of the disease, and differentiated ide-cel from other treatments. The ongoing interviews will further assess pt experience during and after ide-cel therapy. Clinical trial information: NCT03361748 . [Table: see text]

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the phase III QUAZAR-AML-001 trial of CC-486 as maintenance therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first remission following induction chemotherapy (IC)

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Background: Effective AML maintenance treatment (Tx) should decrease the risk of relapse and prolong survival without compromising HRQoL. In the placebo (PBO)-controlled phase III QUAZAR AML-001 trial (NCT01757535), CC-486, an oral hypomethylating agent, provided significant improvements in overall (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients (pts) with AML in first remission following IC. Here we present pt-reported HRQoL outcomes from that study. Methods: Eligible pts were ≥ 55 yrs of age with intermediate- or poor-risk cytogenetics and ECOG PS ≤ 3, and in CR/CRi after IC ± consolidation. Pts were randomized 1:1 to CC-486 300 mg or PBO QD on days (d) 1–14 of 28d Tx cycles. HRQoL was assessed by FACIT-Fatigue scale and EQ-5D-3L health utility index, completed on d1 of each cycle and at end of Tx (EOT). Endpoints include Tx differences in mean changes from baseline (BL), and proportions of pts with clinically meaningful change from BL (improvement, no change, deterioration). Evaluable pts had an HRQoL assessment at BL and ≥ 1 post-BL visit. Stratified ANCOVA models included Tx and BL scores as covariates. Results: In all, 225/238 pts (95%) in the CC-486 arm were evaluable for FACIT-Fatigue and EQ-5D-3L, and 219/234 pts (94%) in the PBO arm were evaluable for FACIT-Fatigue and 217 (93%) for EQ-5D-3L. Pt characteristics were comparable between Tx arms. Most pts (61%) were 65-74 yrs of age. Median number of CC-486 Tx cycles was 12 and PBO cycles was 7. Compliance rates were > 95% at BL and remained high ( > 85%) at all post-BL visits except for EOT. At BL, pts in both Tx arms had comparable low levels of fatigue and generally good HRQoL relative to an age-matched general population. There were no meaningful differences between CC-486 and PBO in mean changes from BL in FACIT-Fatigue or EQ-5D-3L scores at any post-BL visit. There was no statistically significant difference between Tx arms in proportion of pts with a clinically meaningful deterioration in FACIT-Fatigue score at any post-BL visit except at cycle 29 (likely due to chance; no adjustment made for multiple testing), or in EQ-5D-3L at any visit. Median time to deterioration was not significantly different between CC-486 and PBO on the FACIT-Fatigue scale (41 vs 44 weeks, respectively; P = 0.70) or the EQ-5D-3L (200 vs 164 weeks; P = 0.63). Conclusions: HRQoL and low levels of fatigue were preserved with CC-486 maintenance Tx. CC-486 significantly improved OS and RFS while maintaining HRQoL comparable to PBO. Clinical trial information: NCT01757535 .

Novel linguistic evaluation of prefrontal synthesis (LEPS) test measures prefrontal synthesis acquisition in neurotypical children and predicts high-functioning versus low-functioning class assignment in individuals with autism

In order to grasp the difference between "the cat on the mat" and "the mat on the cat," understanding the words and the grammar is not enough. Rather it is essential to visualize the cat and the mat together to appreciate their relations. This type of imagination, which involves juxtaposition of mental objects is conducted by the prefrontal cortex and is therefore called Prefrontal Synthesis (PFS). PFS acquisition has a strong experience-dependent critical period putting children with language delay in danger of never acquiring PFS and, consequently, not mastering complex language comprehension. In typical children, the timeline of PFS acquisition correlates with vocabulary expansion. Conversely, atypically developing children may learn many words but never acquire PFS. In these individuals, intelligence tests based on vocabulary assessment may miss the profound deficit in PFS. Accordingly, we developed a test specific for PFS - Linguistic Evaluation of Prefrontal Synthesis or LEPS - and administered it to 50 neurotypical children, age 4.1 ± 1.3 years and to 23 individuals with impairments, age 16.4 ± 3.0 years. All neurotypical children older than 4 years received the LEPS score 7/10 or greater indicating good PFS ability. Among individuals with impairments only 39% received the LEPS score 7/10 or greater. LEPS was 90% correct in predicting high-functioning vs. low-functioning class assignment in individuals with impairments.

Measurement of Quality of Life in Patients with Mycosis Fungoides/Sézary Syndrome Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: Development of an Electronic Instrument

BACKGROUND

Although the quality of life (QoL) plays an important role in treatment decision making and clinical management of mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sézary syndrome (SS) subtypes of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (MF/SS-CTCLs), an MF- or SS-specific measure of QoL does not exist.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research was to develop and validate the first QoL instrument for MF/SS-CTCL using a patient-centered approach.

METHODS

A conceptual framework for the MF/SS-CTCL QoL was developed through a literature review and interviews with key opinion leaders. Concept elicitation with patients was utilized to refine the conceptual model and generate preliminary items. The items were then revised based on qualitative and quantitative feedback obtained through cognitive debriefing surveys and interviews with patients. Next, participants (N=126) completed the preliminary MF/SS-CTCL QoL and a comparator measure of health-related QoL (Skindex-29) through the PatientsLikeMe Open Research Exchange. The MF/SS-CTCL QoL was completed again 5 days later by 66 participants for the purposes of evaluating test-retest reliability. The MF/SS-CTCL QoL was finalized based on results from an empirical evaluation, which included both classical and modern test theory approaches. Specifically, this included evaluation of (1) the optimal item response theory measurement model; (2) item fit; (3) unidimensionality; (4) rating scale performance; (5) reliability; (6) test information (precision); (7) person-to-item map; (8) convergent and discriminant validity; and (9) presence of bias via differential item function.

RESULTS

Results from the comprehensive psychometric evaluation utilizing a Rasch-Grouped Rating Scale model yielded a final 12-item instrument. The rating scale functioned as expected, and the instrument exhibited adequate person reliability (.87), good to excellent test-retest reliability (r=.89, P<.001), high levels of measurement precision, and good person-to-item targeting. The correlation between the MF/SS-CTCL QoL and the Skindex-29 (r=.852, P<.001) was significantly greater than the correlation between the MF/SS-CTCL QoL and syndrome stage (r=.260, P<.001), providing support for convergent and discriminant validity. Items did not show significant bias based on gender, age, or race. Rasch scores were converted to scaled scores with qualitative descriptive categories for ease of interpretation.

CONCLUSIONS

Empirical evaluation demonstrated strong evidence of excellent psychometric properties. Utilizing a patient-centered measure development approach ensures that this QoL instrument captures the information that is most meaningful and clinically relevant to patients.

Development of the Mental Synthesis Evaluation Checklist (MSEC): A Parent-Report Tool for Mental Synthesis Ability Assessment in Children with Language Delay

Mental synthesis is the conscious purposeful process of synthesizing novel mental images from objects stored in memory. Mental synthesis ability is essential for understanding complex syntax, spatial prepositions, and verb tenses. In typical children, the timeline of mental synthesis acquisition is highly correlated with an increasing vocabulary. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), on the other hand, may learn hundreds of words but never acquire mental synthesis. In these individuals, tests assessing vocabulary comprehension may fail to demonstrate the profound deficit in mental synthesis. We developed a parent-reported Mental Synthesis Evaluation Checklist (MSEC) designed to assess mental synthesis acquisition in ASD children. The psychometric quality of MSEC was tested with 3715 parents of ASD children. Internal reliability of the 20-item MSEC was good (Cronbach's alpha >0.9). MSEC exhibited adequate test⁻retest reliability; good construct validity, supported by a positive correlation with the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) Communication subscale; and good known group validity reflected by the difference in MSEC scores for children of different ASD severity levels. The MSEC questionnaire is copyright-free and can be used by researchers as a complimentary subscale for the ATEC evaluation. We hope that the addition of MSEC will make the combined assessment more sensitive to small steps in a child's development. As MSEC does not rely on productive language, it may be an especially useful tool for assessing the development of nonverbal and minimally verbal children.

Real-world evidence analysis of palbociclib prescribing patterns for patients with advanced/metastatic breast cancer treated in community oncology practice in the USA one year post approval

Background

Rapidly evolving understanding of cancer biology has presented novel opportunities to translate that understanding into clinically relevant therapy. Palbociclib, a novel, first-in-class cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor was approved in the USA in February 2015 for the treatment of advanced/metastatic breast cancer. We examined real-world evidence in the first year post approval to understand the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients treated with palbociclib in community oncology practices and the dosing, treatment, and complete blood count (CBC) monitoring patterns.

Methods

This was a retrospective observational study of structured data from a US electronic medical record (EMR) database. Female patients receiving palbociclib after 31 January 2015 were followed through 31 March 2016. Our methodological rules were constructed to aggregate drugs received according to the order in which they are given, i.e., identify the line of therapy as first, second, or third line, etc., using treatment order and course description fields from the EMR.

Results

There were 763 patients initiating palbociclib who met the selection criteria. Of those, 612 (80.2%) received palbociclib concomitantly with letrozole. Mean follow up was 6.4 months and mean age at palbociclib initiation was 64 years. Of patients with a known starting dose (n = 417), 79.9% started on palbociclib 125 mg. Dose reductions were observed in 20.1% of patients. Percentages of patients according to line of therapy at initiation of palbociclib were first-line, 39.5%; second-line, 15.7%; third-line, 13.1%; and fourth-line therapy or later, 31.7%. On average, two CBC tests were conducted during the first cycle of palbociclib treatment. Overall, 74.6% of patients had a neutropenic event during follow up including 47.3% and 8.0% of patients with a grade 3 or 4 occurrence, respectively.

Conclusions

Real-world palbociclib use one year post US approval demonstrates a more heterogeneous patient population than that studied in the clinical trials with more than half of the patients receiving palbociclib plus letrozole in later lines of therapy. CBC testing rates suggested good provider compliance with monitoring guidelines in the USA prescribing information. The occurrence of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia (based on laboratory results) was consistent with the rates of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia in two phase-III studies (PALOMA-2, 56% and 10%; PALOMA-3, 55% and 11%, respectively). Understanding palbociclib utilization in real-world patients and how drug dosing and monitoring are performed aids in the understanding of safe and effective use of the drug.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13058-018-0958-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) Norms: A "Growth Chart" for ATEC Score Changes as a Function of Age

Most early-intervention Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) clinical trials are limited by the availability of psychometric technicians who assess each child's abilities before and after therapeutic intervention. If parents could administer regular psychometric evaluations of their children, then the cost of clinical trials will be reduced, enabling longer clinical trials with the larger number of participants. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was designed nearly two decades ago to provide such a tool, but the norms on the longitudinal changes in ATEC in the "treatment as usual" population were lacking. Here we report the norms of the observational cohort who voluntarily completed ATEC evaluations over the period of four years from 2013 to 2017.

The experience of weight loss and its associated burden in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: results of an online survey

Background: The main objectives of this study were to characterize and compare the burden of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients reporting considerable unintentional weight loss (≥ 5% in the past 6 months or ≥ 2% for a BMI < 20 kg/m2) to those who did not.Methods: Ninety-five advanced NSCLC patients were surveyed from the online patient-powered community PatientsLikeMe, which included health-related quality of life (QLQ-C15-PAL), anorexia-cachexia symptoms/concerns (FAACT A/CS domain), distress levels, clinical/demographic characteristics, and impact of weight loss (open-ended questions).Results: Thirty-five patients (37%) had considerable weight loss at the time of the survey and 60 (63%) did not. Mean age was 59 years, and most were female (81%) and American (81%). Patients with weight loss reported significantly (p < 0.05) lower overall quality of life (55.2 vs. 66.9), worsened anorexia-cachexia symptoms/concerns (30.7 vs. 36.0), and higher symptomology, specifically fatigue (64.8 vs. 49.1), nausea (19.5 vs. 9.2), and appetite loss (41.0 vs. 23.9) – than patients without weight loss. In addition, significantly more patients who lost weight reported moderate/high distress levels than patients who did not (71% vs. 38%). For patients with weight loss, changes in food taste, fatigue, and decrease in appetite were the most frequently reported symptoms with the greatest impact on their lives, and main worries included loss of energy and disease progression.Conclusions: Weight loss represents a substantial problem for NSCLC patients and symptoms associated with weight loss significantly impact patient lives. Interventions targeted at maintaining/increasing body weight may help to alleviate these findings.

Patients' motivations and interest in research: characteristics of volunteers for patient-led projects on PatientsLikeMe

PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY

PLM is an online platform that provides tools for individuals to track their health and connect with other patients and while PLM has invited patients to participate in various research projects throughout the years, an examination into what motivates patients to want to get involved in clinical research has not been done. During our analysis of applications submitted by members of the PLM community, we looked for reasons patients want to participate in research and their overall beliefs about clinical research, in general. In addition, we analyzed obstacles and barriers toward patients' research participation. We observed the following:Patients are typically motivated by their individual needs and are most interested in research specific to their own condition.To get the most from patients' involvement and to enhance patients' contribution towards research goals, researchers should explain the research goal and requirements of each goal in clear and transparent terms, making it easy for patients to understand, thus avoiding any potential miscommunication.Future studies are needed to determine the best methods for involving patients in clinical research.

BACKGROUND

Historically, throughout the clinical and medical research arenas, patients have been perceived as passive "subjects" rather than as individuals who may have thoughts regarding research development, research plans, implementation of research studies, and data analysis. However, it is becoming more clear that patients increasingly want to have a more active role in clinical research studies and in the management of their own medical conditions as evidenced by a "no decision about us without us" stance, meaning patients want to make informed decisions about their health while working alongside their healthcare professionals. The central aim of this research study was to determine patients' motivations for being involved in research design and understand their perceptions of current research practices.

METHODS

Two independent qualitative studies were conducted. In Study 1, we analyzed applications submitted by self-identified patients from within the PatientsLikeMe (PLM) community, for acceptance onto our advisory panel. The advisory panel was tasked with developing a best practice guide for how to involve patients in research. During the qualitative analysis, we identified major reasons for and topics of interest associated with PLM members' motivation to apply to the advisory panel. In Study 2, we analyzed applications from PLM community members and from patients outside the PLM community for a patient-led patient-reported-outcome (PRO) development project. Similar to Study 1, we identified themes associated with patients' motivations to participate in developing a new PRO.

RESULTS

PLM members are interested in being involved in medical research for various reasons, including facilitating provider-patient communication, improving comprehension of medical information, understanding their disease, and bringing a more individualized approach to health care in general.

CONCLUSION

Challenges in the process of appropriate involvement of patients in research are discussed. In both studies, the applicants shared their interests in being involved in research. However, in Study 2, many of the patients shared ideas that were not appropriate for the development of a PRO, which indicated limitations in how the invitation and application explained the project to patients. Future studies should contribute to determining the most appropriate method for involving patients in various settings.

Communicating laboratory test results for rheumatoid factor: what do patients and physicians want?

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore patient and physician perspectives on current laboratory test reporting practices and to elicit ideas for improvement.

METHODS

Two independent studies were conducted. The first solicited members of an online physician community for opinions on current laboratory test reporting practices and possible improvements. The second addressed the same topic, but solicited patient feedback, and included an evaluation of a mock laboratory test report for the rheumatoid factor blood test.

RESULTS

Both physicians and patients expressed a desire for patient-friendly information on laboratory reports. Physicians expressed a need for education for patients around false-positive and false-negative results within laboratory reports, while patients sought context around the meaning of results, relevance to other tests, and follow-up steps.

CONCLUSION

Physicians and patients see value in enhancing laboratory test reports to improve communication. While reports should include the context that patients value, they should also contain cautionary interpretation emphasized by physicians. Patient consultation on improving laboratory reports may help improve such patient-focused communication and promote greater patient understanding of health information, thereby increasing patient participation in their own health care and improving outcomes.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Laboratory reports are typically designed by experts. Including patients in laboratory report design may facilitate communication and improve outcomes through better patient engagement.

Tilting at windmills: a comment on Auer and Griffiths

In their review of Internet gambling studies, Auer and Griffiths (Soc Sci Comput Rev 20(3):312-320, 2013) question the validity of using bet size as an indicator of gambling intensity. Instead, Auer and Griffiths suggest using "theoretical loss" as a preferable measure of gambling intensity. This comment identifies problems with their argument and suggests a convergent rather than an exclusionary approach to Internet gambling measures and analysis.

Using cross-game behavioral markers for early identification of high-risk internet gamblers

Using actual gambling behavior provides the opportunity to develop behavioral markers that operators can use to predict the development of gambling-related problems among their subscribers. Participants were 4,056 Internet gamblers who subscribed to the Internet betting service provider bwin.party. Half of this sample included multiple platform gamblers who were identified by bwin.party's Responsible Gambling (RG) program; the other half were controls randomly selected from those who had the same first deposit date. Using the daily aggregated Internet betting transactions for gamblers' first 31 calendar days of online betting activities at bwin.party, we employed a 2-step analytic strategy: (a) applying an exploratory chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) decision tree method to identify characteristics that distinguished a subgroup of high-risk Internet gamblers from the rest of the sample, and (b) conducting a confirmatory analysis of those characteristics among an independent validation sample. This analysis identified two high-risk groups (i.e., groups in which 90% of the members were identified by bwin.party's RG program): Group 1 engaged in three or more gambling activities and evidenced high wager variability on casino-type games; Group 2 engaged in two different gambling activities and evidenced high variability for live action wagers. This analysis advances an ongoing research program to identify potentially problematic Internet gamblers during the earliest stages of their Internet gambling. Gambling providers and public policymakers can use these results to inform early intervention programs that target high-risk Internet gamblers.

Accuracy of self-reported versus actual online gambling wins and losses

This study is the first to compare the accuracy of self-reported with actual monetary outcomes of online fixed odds sports betting, live action sports betting, and online casino gambling at the individual level of analysis. Subscribers to bwin.party digital entertainment's online gambling service volunteered to respond to the Brief Bio-Social Gambling Screen and questions about their estimated gambling results on specific games for the last 3 or 12 months. We compared the estimated results of each subscriber with his or her actual betting results data. On average, between 34% and 40% of the participants expressed a favorable distortion of their gambling outcomes (i.e., they underestimated losses or overestimated gains) depending on the time period and game. The size of the discrepancy between actual and self-reported results was consistently associated with the self-reported presence of gambling-related problems. However, the specific direction of the reported discrepancy (i.e., favorable vs. unfavorable bias) was not associated with gambling-related problems.

A study of online consultations for paediatric renal patients in Russia

We developed an educational website for parents of paediatric patients with kidney diseases in Russia. Parents could ask questions regarding their child's illness and submit information, including medical summaries and scanned or electronic images. A US-trained specialist in paediatric nephrology reviewed the information provided and advised about further evaluation or referral, as well as discussing possible treatment plans. In the first nine months, 141 distinct users communicated through the website. Fifty-eight percent of patients were female. An analysis of 70 cases suggested that in 45% there had been overdiagnosis of common paediatric problems, such as urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis. Users completed an anonymous satisfaction survey. The response rate was 84% (n = 59/70). The majority of respondents found the consultation useful (mean = 4.6 on a 5-point scale). The online consultation answered the questions of most respondents, provided useful information and relieved uncertainty regarding a follow-up. The majority of the respondents (>90%) confirmed that they trusted the online consultation and would recommend the technique to other parents. Online consultation for parents can provide reliable information that results in improved parental satisfaction and education. This approach may be useful in improving care and providing patient education in underserved areas in the USA and elsewhere.

How do gamblers start gambling: identifying behavioural markers for high-risk internet gambling

BACKGROUND

The goal of this study is to identify betting patterns displayed during the first month of actual Internet gambling on a betting site that can serve as behavioural markers to predict the development of gambling-related problems.

METHODS

Using longitudinal data, k-means clustering analysis identified a small subgroup of high-risk gamblers.

RESULTS

Seventy-three percent of the members of this subgroup eventually closed their account due to gambling-related problems. The characteristics of this high-risk subgroup were as follows: (i) frequent and (ii) intensive betting combined with (iii) high variability across wager amount and (iv) an increasing wager size during the first month of betting.

CONCLUSION

This analysis provides important information that can help to identify potentially problematic gamblers during the early stages of gambling-related problems. Public health workers can use these results to develop early interventions that target high-risk Internet gamblers for prevention efforts. However, one study limitation is that the results distinguish only a small proportion of the total sample; therefore, additional research will be necessary to identify markers that can classify larger segments of high-risk gamblers.

Predictors of medication adherence for African American patients diagnosed with hypertension

BACKGROUND

The prevalence, morbidity and mortality of hypertension are strikingly higher for African Americans than for Whites. Poor adherence to the antihypertensive medication regimen is a major cause of inadequate blood pressure control. In this study, we assess the relationship of antihypertensive medication adherence to sociodemographic, clinical and cognitive characteristics of urban African American adults.

METHOD

Data were drawn from a larger randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of a behavioral intervention to improve medication adherence and blood pressure control among hypertensive African American patients followed in an urban primary care network. Medication adherence was assessed at baseline using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS)--a method regarded as the gold standard for assessing medication adherence in clinical research. Information on potential correlates of medication adherence (sociodemographic, clinical and cognitive) was obtained at baseline by computer-assisted interview. We assessed the cross sectional association of these factors to medication adherence in baseline data.

RESULTS

Medication adherence was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (r=.253, P<.04) and self-reported medication adherence (r=.285, P<.03). The relationship of education to medication adherence varied significantly by sex (P<.05 for interaction). Specifically, lower educational attainment was related to higher adherence among men, but lower adherence among women.

CONCLUSION

Identifying correlates of low antihypertensive medication adherence and their interactions, as in this study, will help health providers to better recognize patients at higher risk for worse hypertension-related outcomes. This knowledge can also inform interventions which target a higher-risk subset of hypertensive patients.

The effect of mood on detection of covariation

The purpose of this research is to explore the effect of mood on the detection of covariation. Predictions were based on an assumption that sad moods facilitate a data-driven information elaboration style and careful data scrutinizing, whereas happy moods predispose individuals toward top-down information processing and decrease the attention given to cognitive tasks. The primary dependent variable involved is the detection of covariation between facial features and personal information and the use of this information for evaluating new target faces. The findings support the view that sad mood facilitates both conscious and unconscious detection of covariation because it increases motivation to engage in the task. Limiting available cognitive resources does not eliminate the effect of mood on the detecting of covariation.

Discrete emotions and persuasion: the role of emotion-induced expectancies

The authors argue that specific emotions can alter the persuasive impact of messages as a function of the emotional framing of persuasive appeals. Because specific emotions inflate expectancies for events possessing matching emotional overtones (D. DeSteno, R. E. Petty, D. T. Wegener, & D. D. Rucker, 2000), the authors predicted that attempts at persuasion would be more successful when messages were framed with emotional overtones matching the emotional state of the receiver and that these changes would be mediated by emotion-induced biases involving expectancies attached to arguments contained in the messages. Two studies manipulating discrete negative emotional states and message frames (i.e., sadness and anger) confirmed these predictions. The functioning of this emotion-matching bias in parallel with emotion-induced processing differences and the limitations of a valence-based approach to the study of attitude change are also considered.

Sex differences in jealousy: evolutionary mechanism or artifact of measurement?

Two studies are presented that challenge the evidentiary basis for the existence of evolved sex differences in jealousy. In opposition to the evolutionary view, Study I demonstrated that a sex difference in jealousy resulting from sexual versus emotional infidelity is observed only when judgments are recorded using a forced-choice response format. On all other measures, no sex differences were found; both men and women reported greater jealousy in response to sexual infidelity. A second study revealed that the sex difference on the forced-choice measure disappeared under conditions of cognitive constraint. These findings suggest that the sex difference used to support the evolutionary view of jealousy (e.g., D. M. Buss, R. Larsen, D. Westen, & J. Semmelroth, 1992; D. M. Buss et al., 1999) likely represents a measurement artifact resulting from a format-induced effortful decision strategy and not an automatic, sex-specific response shaped by evolution.

Spontaneous clostridia gas gangrene of uterus associated with endometrial malignancy

Only four patients with clostridia sepsis in association with gynecologic malignancy have been reported, all of whom had prior diagnostic or therapeutic intervention. Our patient is the first documented case of such clostridium sepsis that occurred spontaneously, i.e., without previous trauma, instrumentation, radiation or chemotherapy. The value of aggressive management is reviewed.

Screening for the patient at risk for postpartum depression

A simple, accurate, and practical device was designed for detecting the woman at risk for postpartum emotional disorder (PED). Women attending the Sainte-Justine prenatal clinic were requested to complete a 19-item "yes/no" type of questionnaire. Each patient was classified for presence or absence of PED according to preestablished criteria. The responses of the patients classified as having emotional disorders were compared to the "normal" group. Thirteen percent developed PED. Six items showed predictive value: 1) admission of often feeling unloved by husband; 2) admission of feeling that pregnancy is undesired; 3) past history of postpartum depression; 4) being single or separated; 5) admission of marital problems; 6) admission that pregnancy was unplanned. The presentation of these items as part of a routine patient prenatal history questionnaire would constitute a means of identifying the woman at risk to develop PED and preventive measures could be taken.