Dataset Information

Patient-reported distress and survival among patients receiving definitive radiation therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Patient-reported distress (PRD) has not been well assessed in association with survival after radiation therapy (RT). The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between PRD level and survival after definitive RT and to identify the main causes of distress in definitive RT patients.

Methods and materials

A total of 678 consecutive patients receiving definitive RT at our institution from April 2012 through May 2015 were included. All patients answered a PRD questionnaire that contained 30 items related to possible causes of distress, which could be rated from 1 (no distress) to 5 (high distress). Additionally, patients were asked to rate their overall distress level from 0 (no distress) to 10 (extreme distress). This overall distress level was our primary patient-reported distress measure and was examined as a continuous variable and as a categorical variable with 3 PRD levels (low, 0-3 [n = 295]; moderate, 4-6 [n = 222]; and high, 7-10 [n = 161]).

Results

As a continuous variable in multivariable Cox regression analysis, a higher overall PRD level was associated with poorer survival after RT (hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; P = .004). As a categorical variable, compared with patients with low distress, survival was poorer for patients with moderate distress (HR, 1.62; P = .038) or high distress (HR, 1.49; P = .12), but the latter difference was not significant. When the moderate and high distress levels were combined, survival was significantly poorer compared with the low distress level (HR, 1.57; P = .034). The top 5 specific causes of distress that patients mentioned were "How I feel during treatment," "Fatigue," "Out-of-pocket medical costs," "Pain that affects my daily functioning," and "Sleep difficulties."

Conclusions

PRD before or during RT is a prognostic factor associated with decreased survival. Distress screening guidelines and interventions should be implemented for patients receiving definitive RT.

SUBMITTER: Habboush Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5514245 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Patient-reported distress and survival among patients receiving definitive radiation therapy.

Habboush Yacob Y Shannon Robert P RP Niazi Shehzad K SK Hollant Laeticia L Single Megan M Gaines Katherine K Smart Bridget B Chimato Nicolette T NT Heckman Michael G MG Buskirk Steven J SJ Vallow Laura A LA Tzou Katherine S KS Ko Stephen J SJ Peterson Jennifer L JL Biers Heather A HA Day Atiya B AB Nelson Kimberly A KA Sloan Jeff A JA Halyard Michele Y MY Miller Robert C RC

Advances in radiation oncology 20170320 2

<h4>Objective</h4>Patient-reported distress (PRD) has not been well assessed in association with survival after radiation therapy (RT). The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between PRD level and survival after definitive RT and to identify the main causes of distress in definitive RT patients.<h4>Methods and materials</h4>A total of 678 consecutive patients receiving definitive RT at our institution from April 2012 through May 2015 were included. All patients answered a PRD qu ...[more]

PMID: 28740934

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Project description:AimThis study aimed to explore associations between radiation dose and patient-reported outcomes in patients with a primary non-glioblastoma brain tumour treated with radiation therapy (RT), with a focus on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and self-reported cognitive function.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 78 patients who had received RT for a non-glioblastoma primary brain tumour, underwent neuropsychological testing and completed questionnaires on HRQoL, cognitive function, fatigue, depression, anxiety and perceived stress. The study explores the association between HRQoL scores, self-reported cognitive function and radiation doses to total brain, brainstem, hippocampus, thalamus, temporal lobes and frontal lobes. In addition, we examined correlations between neuropsychological test scores and self-reported cognitive function.ResultsThe median time between RT and testing was 4.6 years (range 1-9 years). Patients who had received high mean radiation doses to the total brain had low HRQoL scores (Cohen's d = 0.50, p = 0.04), brainstem (d = 0.65, p = 0.01) and hippocampus (d = 0.66, p = 0.01). High mean doses to the total brain were also associated with low scores on self-reported cognitive functioning (Cohen's d = 0.64, p = 0.02), brainstem (d = 0.55, p = 0.03), hippocampus (d = 0.76, p < 0.01), temporal lobes (d = 0.70, p < 0.01) and thalamus (d = 0.64, p = 0.01). Self-reported cognitive function correlated well with neuropsychological test scores (correlation range 0.27-0.54.).ConclusionsHigh radiation doses to specific brain structures may be associated with impaired HRQoL and self-reported cognitive function with potentially negative implications to patients' daily lives. Patient-reported outcomes of treatment-related side-effects and their associations with radiation doses to the brain and its sub-structures may provide important information on radiation tolerance to the brain and sub-structures.

Project description:PurposeTo identify which patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may be most improved through adaptive radiation therapy (ART) with the goal of reducing toxicity incidence among head and neck cancer patients.MethodsOne hundred fifty-five head and neck cancer patients receiving radical VMAT (chemo)radiotherapy (66-70 Gy in 30-35 fractions) completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI), and Xerostomia Questionnaire while attending routine follow-up clinics between June-October 2019. Hierarchical clustering characterized symptom endorsement. Conventional statistical approaches indicated associations between dose and commonly reported symptoms. These associations, and the potential benefit of interfractional dose corrections, were further explored via logistic regression.ResultsRadiotherapy-related symptoms were commonly reported (dry mouth, difficulty swallowing/chewing). Clustering identified three patient subgroups reporting: none/mild symptoms for most items (60.6% of patients); moderate/severe symptoms affecting some aspects of general well-being (32.9%); and moderate/severe symptom reporting for most items (6.5%). Clusters of PRO items broadly consisted of acute toxicities, general well-being, and head and neck-specific symptoms (xerostomia, dysphagia). Dose-PRO relationships were strongest between delivered pharyngeal constrictor Dmean and patient-reported dysphagia, with MDADI composite scores (mean ± SD) of 25.7 ± 18.9 for patients with Dmean <50 Gy vs. 32.4 ± 17.1 with Dmean ≥50 Gy. Based on logistic regression models, during-treatment dose corrections back to planned values may confer ≥5% decrease in the absolute risk of self-reported physical dysphagia symptoms ≥1 year post-treatment in 1.2% of patients, with a ≥5% decrease in relative risk in 23.3% of patients.ConclusionsPatient-reported dysphagia symptoms are strongly associated with delivered dose to the pharyngeal constrictor. Dysphagia-focused ART may provide the greatest toxicity benefit to head and neck cancer patients, and represent a potential new direction for ART, given that the existing ART literature has focused almost exclusively on xerostomia reduction.

Project description:ImportanceThe variability in individual symptom and adverse event reporting between pediatric patient-reports and proxy-reports is widely reported. However, the question of whether symptom profiles based on reports from children with cancer and their caregivers are similar or disparate have not yet been studied.ObjectiveTo compare proxy symptom reports with patient self-reports to assess alignment.Design, setting, and participantsA multicenter cohort study was conducted from October 2016 to December 2018 from data collected at 9 pediatric cancer centers. Participants were a convenience sample of family caregivers or proxies of children aged 7 to 18 years who had received disease-directed oncology treatment in the form of chemotherapy for at least 1 month. Data were analyzed identifying clusters of individuals (ie, latent profiles) based on various responses (ie, indicators) in August 2021.ExposuresThe children of proxy participants received upfront chemotherapy. Children and proxies completed Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) surveys at 2 time points: within 72 hours preceding treatment initiation and following the course of chemotherapy.Main outcomes and measuresThe latent profile analysis methods were applied to caregiver-proxy reports of PROMIS Pediatric symptom and function measures (anxiety, depressive symptoms, pain interference, fatigue, psychological stress, and physical function-mobility). The instrument categorized respondents as high symptom suffering, medium symptom suffering, and low symptom suffering (hereafter, high, medium, and low symptom groups, respectively).ResultsOf 580 approached proxies, 431 (368 [85.00%] were female) identified as legal guardians of children aged 7 to 18 years with a first cancer diagnosis (mean [SD] age, 13.03 [3.40] years; 235 [54.65%] were male). Proxy reports of children's experiences based on the 5 proxy PROMIS measures comprised 3 distinct symptom profiles. The most common proxy assessments of children's experiences were the moderate symptom groups (45.7% [197 of 431]) and the low symptom groups profiles (40.1% [173 of 431]). A high symptom groups profile emerged which represented 14.2% (61 of 431) of proxy assessments. The number of profiles and observed distribution of profile membership was similar between child and proxy reports. Proxy reports of individual symptoms generally recorded higher scores than child reports; however, no significant difference was observed between proxies and child profile model results for the PROMIS measures.Conclusions and relevanceResults of this cohort study suggest that, at the level of symptom severity profile, proxy caregiver reports may approximate the children's reports and may serve as a guide to care when the child is not able to self-report.

Dataset Information

Patient-reported distress and survival among patients receiving definitive radiation therapy.

Objective

Methods and materials

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Patient-reported distress and survival among patients receiving definitive radiation therapy.

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