The State of the Science in Patient-Reported Outcomes for Patients with Lung Cancer

Traditionally, clinicians have assumed the primary responsibility for evaluating disease- and treatment-related outcomes. In the past few decades, however, a series of recommendations and standards promulgated by professional societies and regulatory agencies have resulted in increased use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in cancer clinical trials. PROs, such as quality of life (QOL) measures, are important in establishing overall treatment effectiveness in cancer clinical trials, and they can inform clinical decision making. This article discusses the current state of the science in PRO research for patients with lung cancer, the cancer type with the highest incidence rate and the lowest survival rate worldwide. The discussion focuses on (1) PRO and survival; (2) electronic PRO reporting and interventions; (3) PROs and immunotherapy; (4) PRO, biomarkers, and precision health; (5) key issues in applying PROs in clinical trials; and (6) future directions for research.