In 2016, results of an important randomized trial demonstrated that patients undergoing chemotherapy who reported symptoms electronically have a better quality of life than those receiving usual care. Now, a significant survival improvement for patients in the experimental arm of this study has been reported. The emphasis of this survival benefit is 'culturally' positive, promoting the adoption of patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Di Maio, M., Basch, E., Bryce, J. & Perrone, F. Patient-reported outcomes in the evaluation of toxicity of anticancer treatments. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 13, 319–325 (2016).
Basch, E. The missing voice of patients in drug-safety reporting. N. Engl. J. Med. 362, 865–869 (2010).
Trotti, A., Colevas, A. D., Setser, A. & Basch, E. Patient-reported outcomes and the evolution of adverse event reporting in oncology. J. Clin. Oncol. 25, 5121–5127 (2007).
Di Maio, M. et al. Symptomatic toxicities experienced during anticancer treatment: agreement between patient and physician reporting in three randomized trials. J. Clin. Oncol. 33, 910–915 (2015).
Basch, E. et al. Symptom monitoring with patient-reported outcomes during routine cancer treatment: a randomized controlled trial. J. Clin. Oncol. 34, 557–565 (2016).
Basch, E. et al. Overall survival results of a randomized trial assessing patient-reported outcomes for symptom monitoring during routine cancer treatment [abstract]. J. Clin. Oncol. 35 (Suppl.), LBA2 (2017).
Basch, E. et al. Overall survival results of a trial assessing patient-reported outcomes for symptom monitoring during routine cancer treatment. JAMA http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.7156 (2017).
Temel, J. S. et al. Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 363, 733–742 (2010).
Ferrell, B. R. et al. Integration of palliative care into standard oncology care: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline update. J. Clin. Oncol. 35, 96–112 (2017).
Di Maio, M. et al. Prognostic impact of education level of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer enrolled in clinical trials. Lung Cancer 76, 457–464 (2012).
Acknowledgements
M.D.M. is a recipient of a research funding from the CRT Foundation (Turin, Italy) for a project on patient-reported outcomes in patients with cancer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sperti, E., Di Maio, M. Integrating PROs into the clinic — overall survival benefit or not, it's worth the trouble. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 14, 529–530 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.109
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.109
This article is cited by
-
An analysis of missing items in real-world electronic patient reported outcomes data: implications for clinical care
Supportive Care in Cancer (2020)
-
The role of patient-reported outcomes in outpatients receiving active anti-cancer treatment: impact on patients’ quality of life
Supportive Care in Cancer (2019)
-
Patient-reported outcomes in cancer care — hearing the patient voice at greater volume
Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology (2017)
