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Symptom monitoring with electronic patient-reported outcomes during cancer treatment by Ethan Basch et al.
Feb 11, 2025, 09:28

Symptom monitoring with electronic patient-reported outcomes during cancer treatment by Ethan Basch et al.

Nature Medicine published a paper by Ethan Basch et al., titled:

“Symptom monitoring with electronic patient-reported outcomes during cancer treatment: final results of the PRO-TECT cluster-randomized trial”

Authors: Ethan Basch, Deborah Schrag, Jennifer Jansen, Anna Wolf, Amylou Dueck et al.

Symptom monitoring with electronic patient-reported outcomes during cancer treatment by Ethan Basch et al.

A cluster-randomized trial across 52 oncology practices evaluated electronic patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in metastatic cancer care. Patients in PRO practices completed weekly symptom surveys, triggering alerts for severe or worsening symptoms.

Among 1,191 patients, survival did not differ (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.83–1.17; P = 0.86), but PRO monitoring reduced emergency visits (HR 0.84; P = 0.03) and delayed declines in physical function (HR 0.73; P = 0.002), symptoms (HR 0.69; P < 0.001), and quality of life (HR 0.72; P = 0.001).

Patients reported improved communication (77%), greater control (84%), and high satisfaction (91%). Adherence was 91.5% (20,565/22,486 surveys completed). PRO monitoring significantly improves patient outcomes and healthcare utilization and should be standard in cancer care. Future research should prioritize symptom management and quality of life over survival.

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