Study to Measure and Enhance the Health Related Quality Of Life in Cancer Patients

Overview

The ME-Q study aims to validate a patient reported outcome tool called FACT-ICM, which measures health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients receiving immune checkpoint modulator (ICM) therapy. In addition, this trial seeks to answer if HRQOL can be improved by monitoring and managing patient symptoms whilst they are treated with ICMs.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care by extending survival, but with a unique set of toxicities known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs), less is known about impact of ICMs on HRQOL. The ME-Q trial will produce two major innovations: 1) the first validated tool to measure HRQOL in patients on ICMs that can be used in clinical trials and routine clinical care; and 2) a system to monitor and manage patient symptoms on ICMs which can enhance health care delivery for these cancer patients. ME-Q will randomize patients who are treated with standard of care ICMs to either a monitoring arm developed specifically for this trial or the usual care arm, which is currently how they are managed. All participants will respond to HRQOL questionnaires of which FACT-ICM is a core component. A study nurse will review and manage responses which indicate new or worsening symptoms for those in the monitoring arm. The nurse will contact the patient via telephone or video teleconferencing to conduct a clinical assessment and develop a management plan following irAEs management guidelines. We hypothesize that patients on the monitoring arm will have better HRQOL, longer overall survival, fewer presentations to the emergency department and less hospital admissions than the usual care arm.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes