Distress and Care Utilization in Patients with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Hematology
• Psychosocial Oncology

Background:

• Distress significantly impacts cancer patient outcomes.
• The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend distress screening (≥4) and referral to supportive services (SSs).
• Prevalence of distress and healthcare utilization in Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess distress prevalence and healthcare utilization in MPN patients.
• To evaluate the proportion of MPN patients with distress (≥4) referred to SSs or experiencing acute care utilization (ACU).
• To identify factors associated with distress in MPN patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 141 MPN patients (PV, ET, MF).
• Measured distress (≥4) via electronic distress screening (EDS) and subsequent SS evaluation or ACU within 6 months.
• Collected sociodemographic, disease, and symptom data for stratification.

Main Results:

• 53% of MPN patients reported distress (≥4).
• Only 33% of distressed patients were evaluated by SS; 31% had ACU within 6 months of EDS.
• Distress correlated with higher symptom scores and ED visits, but not demographics or diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Most MPN patients with distress (≥4) are not referred to SSs, despite NCCN recommendations.
• Patients evaluated by SSs had higher ACU, suggesting unmet needs.
• Further research is needed to optimize the use of patient-reported outcomes for timely interventions.