Results from CareAcross Randomised Controlled Trial presented orally at ASCO 2024

CareAcross has consistently been showcasing its findings and impact over the past few years at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting.

At the most recent ASCO congress in 2024, held again in Chicago, results of the prospective randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted through the CareAcross service were shared in a mini-oral presentation. This is a milestone achievement for innovative services that focus on cancer patients’ quality of life while enhancing clinicians’ workflows.

Beyond this, the congress proceedings included our age-based analysis of patient engagement across several of our platforms, delivering insights on the digital habits of cancer patients of various age groups.

Oral Presentation of Lung Cancer RCT showing improved QoL and lower hospitalisation costs

SNF-CLIMEDIN is a prospective randomised controlled trial based on three pillars:

1. Next Generation Sequencing of all patients’ tumours
2. Detailed recording of real world data from clinical practice
3. Randomised digital intervention for quality of life via the CareAcross platform.

In this trial, 200 patients with advanced or metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) have been enrolled across 16 clinics. All patients have been using the CareAcross platform, which has randomised them in the intervention and control arm as follows:

• Patients in the Intervention arm received personalised information and support based on their condition and each reported side-effect; they also received the recommendation to discuss their side-effects with their treating physician
• Patients in the Control arm received recommendation to discuss their side-effects with their treating physician.

The results presented at ASCO were quite promising, as all key goals of the Intervention are being achieved. More specifically:

• The overall Quality of Life, as measured by the EQ-5D questionnaire, was improved more in the Intervention vs the Control arm.
• All 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D were improved more in the Intervention vs the Control arm:
• Anxiety & Depression
• Mobility
• Self Care
• Usual Activities
• Pain / Discomfort
• Most of the 22 side-effects reported by patients on the CareAcross platform were improved more in the Intervention vs the Control arm.
• The improvement in Fatigue even exhibited statistical significance at the time of data cutoff
• There were statistically significantly lower Hospitalization costs associated with patients in the Intervention arm than those in the Control arm.

These are quite promising results; we look forward to supporting patients further, and sharing updates with the scientific community as time allows. You can read the abstract as submitted here.

Older cancer patients engage in online platforms – often more than younger ones

Thanks to the diversity of the patient population on the CareAcross platform, we were able to conduct a retrospective analysis of patient engagement.

More specifically, the online engagement of 1010 patients with breast, lung, colorectal or prostate cancer for the first 6 months of their participation in the platforms was analysed. Patients were grouped into cohorts of 10-year age groups around the median age, for each different cancer type. Subsequently, the number of side-effect report submissions was evaluated per cohort, and the correlation between age and submissions was calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient.

The analysis revealed that older breast, lung and prostate cancer patients tended to submit more reports than their younger counterparts; the correlation was reversed for colorectal cancer patients.

These results challenge a key assumption of cancer patients’ digital engagement: older patients can indeed engage in online platforms, and they often do so more than younger ones. You can read the abstract here.

Growing evidence for quality of life, improved patient insights

CareAcross keeps adding to its evidence basis with more data from cancer patients illustrating the positive impact of its services on quality of life and costs. We remain committed to delivering strong results for the benefits of patients, healthcare professionals, and the healthcare system overall.

For any questions or clarifications, please feel free to contact us.

Acknowledgements

The abstract authors would like to thank the entire CareAcross team, as well as our collaborators at HeCOG (study sponsor) and SNF (which has funded the study).

Finally, CareAcross is grateful to all the patients who participate in these activities and contribute to advance scientific and research knowledge.