CareAcross at ASCO 23: Using Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) to understand Cancer-Related Thrombosis
The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a premier event that brings together oncology professionals to share advancements in cancer research and treatment. More than 40,000 attendees visited Chicago to learn and network at ASCO 2023, which took place in June 2023.
CareAcross participation at ASCO 2023
CareAcross has been attending ASCO since the company’s incorporation in 2013. Apart from discussing the latest developments in the field with old and new acquaintances, our presence at ASCO is highlighted by sharing our latest research and insights. This year, we showcased the power of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in gaining insights beyond cancer patients' experiences, through our latest abstract, titled:
‘Cancer therapy-associated thrombosis: A patient-reported outcomes (PROs) analysis.’
The role of anticancer agents in thrombotic events
Cancer patients face a heightened risk of thrombotic events (TEs) compared to the general population, influenced by factors such as tumour site, stage, and treatment. Among the treatment-related factors, specific anticancer agents have been associated with an increased likelihood of TEs. However, data for this clinically significant event is not always adequate. In this abstract, we utilised our unique access to patients and patient data to collect PROs to identify correlations between multiple anticancer agents and the incidence of TEs among breast and lung cancer patients.
In breast cancer patients, several treatments exhibited higher-than-average associations with thrombotic events, including aromatase inhibitors, tamoxifen, trastuzumab and CDK4/6 inhibitors (with 8.0%-9.0% of patients reporting thrombosis). Regarding lung cancer treatments, cisplatin was found to have a higher incidence rate compared to carboplatin, with 20.0% of patients reporting TEs compared to 13.4%.
Using patient-reported outcomes to gain valuable insights beyond the patient experience
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can provide a comprehensive view of patients' experiences and capture information that may not be obtained through other sources.
Our abstract, accepted by ASCO 2023, highlights how PROs can go further, and be utilised to actually explore insights beyond the patient experience. This is illustrated by the collection of patient-reported correlations between anticancer agents and thrombotic events.
Expanding the scope and impact of PROs
There are several different sources for eliciting detailed cancer-related insights. Most often, medical data is collected in a clinical setting through electronic health records, chart data, clinician interviews, for instance. This can be a lengthy and complicated process which relies upon substantial alignment among sources and may even require elaborate procedures such as formal requests, ethical approvals and more.
PROs can be a valuable alternative for obtaining insights beyond the patient experience. This is because, when prepared, collected, analysed and reported properly, PROs can adequately capture such details without imposing processes of this extent and complexity.
At CareAcross, our direct access to patients through our patient services platforms, combined with the medical expertise in the cancer therapeutic area, allows us to achieve exactly that.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients who shared their experiences, making this abstract possible. Their invaluable participation has provided the scientific community with important information that can help advance research and further improve cancer patients’ quality of life.
We would also like to acknowledge all the dedicated colleagues involved in this abstract, as well as the passionate CareAcross team for their unwavering commitment to supporting individuals affected by cancer.
You can read the abstract here.