Kaci Ericson
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Research Mentor(s): Jason Chen
Research Mentor School/College/Department: VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System / Medicine
Program:
Authors: Kaci Ericson, Jason Chen
Session: Session 3: 11:00 am – 11: 50 am
Poster: 29
Abstract
Multiple Myeloma is a blood cancer that develops in white blood cells and affects individuals’ bone marrow. This cancer can be extremely strenuous on both diagnosed and undiagnosed individuals, deeply impacting the lives of myeloma patients and making it difficult to complete everyday tasks. Despite the major advancements that have been made in the past two decades when it comes to treating Multiple Myeloma, there is still no cure for this disease. Thus, Patient-focused care is key to the optimal management of patients with Multiple Myeloma. Utilizing Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) is the best way to improve patient care and evaluate how a treatment is impacting their quality of life. This study examines 255 clinical trials found on clinicaltrials.gov that are in the United States, currently recruiting, involve adults (18-65) and older adults (65+), and are interventional. When evaluating the studies, the following are taken into consideration: Phase, Randomization, Study Population, Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria, Date of Initiation, End Date, Intervention Method, Type of Interventional Drug, Primary Outcome, Secondary Outcomes, Exploratory Outcomes, and PROs used. Out of these studies, only 21.57% (50/255) used PROs, the most common ones being EORTC QLQ-MY20 and EORTC QLQ-C30. 18 of those 50 studies utilized EORTC QLQ-C30 which is designed to measure cancer patient’s physical, psychological, and social functions (36%). While many of the studies focused on patients’ physical response to various treatments relatively few utilized PROs to enhance their understanding of how their treatment method impacts the lives of their patients. Therefore, this study was able to demonstrate a greater need for PROs within clinical trials as they are often overlooked.
