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. 2023 Nov 6;7(11):e0315.
doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000315. eCollection 2023 Nov 1.

Patient-reported symptoms and interest in symptom monitoring in HCC treated with locoregional therapies: A qualitative study

Andrew M Moon  1   2 , Sarah Cook  3 , Rachel M Swier  4 , Hanna K Sanoff  2   5 , Michael D Kappelman  6 , Lynne I Wagner  7 , A Sidney Barritt 4th  1 , Amit G Singal  8 , Neil D Shah  1 , David M Mauro  9 , Ted K Yanagihara  10 , David A Gerber  2   11 , Michael W Fried  1 , Cristal Brown  12 , Myra Waheed  2   13 , Randall Teal  2   13 , Donna M Evon  1
Affiliations

Patient-reported symptoms and interest in symptom monitoring in HCC treated with locoregional therapies: A qualitative study

Andrew M Moon et al. Hepatol Commun. .

Abstract

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measures relevant to domains most important to patients with HCC who received locoregional therapies are needed to advance patient-centered research. Furthermore, electronic PRO monitoring in clinical care has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths in patients with other cancers. We conducted a qualitative study among patients with HCC who recently received locoregional therapies to (1) identify common and distressing posttreatment symptoms to prioritize PRO domain selection and (2) gauge interest in an electronic PRO symptom monitoring system.

Methods: We performed semi-structured telephone interviews among adult patients who received locoregional therapies (median of 26 days after treatment) for treatment-naïve HCC at a single tertiary care center. Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was reached. Qualitative content analysis was conducted to identify emerging themes and sub-themes.

Results: Ten of 26 patients (38%) reported at least 1 symptom before treatment. In contrast, all participants (n = 26) with recently treated HCC reported at least 1 posttreatment physical symptom, with the most common being appetite loss (73%), fatigue (58%), abdominal pain (46%), and nausea (35%). Most participants (77%) stated they saw potential benefits in posttreatment ePRO symptom monitoring.

Conclusions: Posttreatment symptoms after HCC locoregional therapies are common and often severe. These data can inform and prioritize PRO domain selection. Patients are interested in ePRO monitoring to monitor and proactively address posttreatment symptoms. Given the clinical benefits in patients with metastatic cancers, ePRO monitoring warrants investigation in patients with HCC.

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Conflict of interest statement

Amit G. Singal consults and advises Genentech, AstraZeneca, Eisai, Bayer, Exelixis, FujiFilm Medical Sciences, Exact, Glycotest, GRAIL, Freenome, Universal Dx, and TARGET. Andrew M. Moon consults for TARGET. A. Sidney Barritt consults for TARGET. Neil D. Shah consults for TARGET. David A. Gerber consults for Medtronic. Donna M. Evon: consults for HighTide. Hanna K. Sanoff received grants from AstraZeneca, F Hoffman La Roche, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, BioMed Valley Discoveries, Rgenix, and Exelis. Michael W. Fried is employed by TARGET.

Figures

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Graphical abstract
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References

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    1. Cabrera R, Singal AG, Colombo M, et al. Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in a Real Life Multinational, Longitudinal, Observational Study (TARGET-HCC). 2019.
    1. Tan D, Yopp A, Beg MS, Gopal P, Singal AG. Meta-analysis: Underutilisation and disparities of treatment among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2013;38:703–712. - PMC - PubMed

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