Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for Data Collection for Pediatric Radiotherapy

Abstract

Objectives

Critical review of the literature on the use of PROMs in data collection for radiotherapy (RT) treatment effects and the use of PROMs in a paediatric cohort of patients. To determine what PROM assessments are deemed effective in a radiation oncology setting and to investigate whether the assessments are in use for a younger cohort of patients.

Methods

A systematic search of literature from 1st of January 2008 to present day was conducted. Papers qualifying for critical evaluation were tabulated and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify emergent themes relating to:

What effects are being measured using PROMs

Which validated PROMs are being used?

Usability in a younger cohort of patients i.e. <16 years old

Results

86 articles were identified for full text review and based on a pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria 30 articles were included for thematic analysis. Acute treatment side effects, depression, quality of life (QoL), and anxiety were the most prevalent RT treatment effects measured by PROMs. The most utilised PROMs in a radiation oncology setting include the Patient Reported Outcomes version of the CTCAE question library (PRO-CTCAE), the EORTC QoL Questionnaire Core (QLQ-C30) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADs) respectively. Patients <18 years were not included in any study population.

Conclusion

PROMs are deemed a useful method of data collection for health-related quality of life metrics, disease specific side effects and psychosocial wellbeing. The evidence of PROMs in clinical use for RT effects remains limited, and evidence is particularly scarce in study population age ranges < 16 years. Further clinical evaluation is required on the use and standardisation of validated PROMs in RT data collection and to address the gap in evidence for the use of validated PROMs in younger patients undergoing treatment in a radiation oncology setting.