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Assessing the unmet needs of patients with advanced cancer treated by biological and precision therapies: protocol
Lisa Crowe1,2, Morven Brown3,2, Andy Bojke4
1Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Lisa.Crowe@ncl.ac.uk.
Introduction:
Biological and precision therapies are increasingly used in cancer treatment. Although they may improve survival, they are also associated with various-and unique-adverse effects, which can be long lasting. Little is known about the experiences of people treated with these therapies. Moreover, their supportive care needs have not been fully explored. Consequently, it is unclear whether existing instruments adequately capture the unmet needs of these patients. The TARGET study seeks to address these evidence gaps by exploring the needs of people treated with these therapies with the aim of developing an unmet needs assessment instrument for patients on biological and precision therapies.
Methods And Analysis:
The TARGET study will adopt a multi-methods design involving four Workstreams (1) a systematic review to identify, describe and assess existing unmet needs instruments in advanced cancer; (2) qualitative interviews with patients on biological and precision therapies, and their healthcare professionals, to explore experiences and care needs; (3) development and piloting of a new (or adapted) unmet needs questionnaire (based on the findings of Workstream 1 and Workstream 2) designed to capture the supportive care needs of these patients; and finally, (4) a large-scale patient survey using the new (or modified) questionnaire to determine (a) the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, and (b) the prevalence of unmet needs in these patients. Based on the broad activity of biological and precision therapies, the following cancers will be included: breast, lung, ovarian, colorectal, renal and malignant melanoma.
Ethics And Dissemination:
This study was approved by National Health Service (NHS) Heath Research Authority Northeast Tyne and Wear South Research Ethics Committee (REC ref: 21/NE/0028). Dissemination of the research findings will take several formats to reach different audiences, including patients, healthcare professionals and researchers.
Insights
The TARGET study explores unmet needs in patients receiving biological and precision cancer therapies. It aims to develop a new assessment tool to better understand and address long-lasting adverse effects and supportive care gaps.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
- Cancer Therapeutics
Background:
- Biological and precision therapies offer improved survival in cancer but present unique, long-lasting adverse effects.
- Patient experiences and supportive care needs associated with these novel therapies are not well understood.
- Existing instruments may not adequately capture the unmet needs of patients on biological and precision therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the experiences and supportive care needs of patients undergoing biological and precision cancer therapies.
- To develop and validate a new instrument for assessing unmet needs in this patient population.
- To address evidence gaps concerning the long-term impact of advanced cancer treatments.
Main Methods:
- Multi-methods design including systematic review of existing instruments.
- Qualitative interviews with patients and healthcare professionals.
- Development, piloting, and large-scale survey of a new unmet needs questionnaire.
- Inclusion of patients with breast, lung, ovarian, colorectal, renal, and malignant melanoma.
Main Results:
- The study is designed to identify and quantify unmet supportive care needs.
- It will determine the psychometric properties of a novel assessment questionnaire.
- The prevalence of unmet needs in patients receiving biological and precision therapies will be established.
Conclusions:
- The TARGET study will provide crucial insights into the supportive care requirements of patients on advanced cancer therapies.
- Development of a validated instrument will improve the assessment and management of unmet needs.
- Findings will inform the enhancement of supportive care strategies for patients benefiting from biological and precision medicine.
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