Clinical effects of assessing electronic patient-reported outcomes monitoring symptomatic toxicities during breast cancer therapy: a nationwide and population-based study

• Published in: Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan) Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 1096 - 1099
• Main Authors: Pappot, Helle, Baeksted, Christina W., Nissen, Aase, Knoop, Ann, Mitchell, Sandra A., Christensen, Jane, Hjollund, Niels Henrik, Johansen, Christoffer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01.09.2021; Springer
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antimitotic agents; Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Cancer; Cancer patients; Cancer Research; Care and treatment; Chemotherapy; Denmark; Female; Humans; Medical Oncology - methods; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Oncology; Oncology, Experimental; Original Article; Patient outcomes; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Quality of Life; Surgery; Surgical Oncology; Denmark; Patient-reported outcome; Symptomatic toxicities; Chemotherapy; Breast cancer; Adverse events
• ISSN: 1340-6868; 1880-4233
• DOI: 10.1007/s12282-021-01244-x

The involvement of cancer patients in symptom reporting talks into our cultural narrative of empowerment and participation in decisions in health of both patients and professionals. Electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) is a tool applied for use in such interaction. Based on limited evidence and few empirical studies, health systems are rapidly implementing this instrument in managing patients in active treatment and in follow-up. In a cluster randomized trial of all Danish oncology departments treating breast cancer with adjuvant chemotherapy, we applied ePRO in 347 patients consecutively recruited. Our primary outcome, which was at least one treatment adjustment, was not significantly influenced using ePRO, 34% in the ePRO arm and 41% in the usual care arm received at least one treatment adjustment, p  = 0.095. Number of hospitalizations and events of febrile neutropenia were not influenced by the intervention. We believe that one of the main reasons for this finding could be the application of PRO in a well-regulated treatment setting within a public health care system where the most impacting symptomatic toxicities are already taken care off. Trial registration : Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02996201, registered 19 Dec 2016, retrospectively registered.