MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Radionuclide Therapy (FACT-RNT) patient-reported outcome (PRO) tool has been developed for measuring symptoms/toxicities among prostate cancer (PC) patients receiving RNT, according to a report published online Jan. 12 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Lisa Gudenkauf, Ph.D., from the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues developed a PRO measure for PC patients receiving RNT. Relevant symptoms/toxicities were identified by reviewing published trials; conducting interviews with 29 PC patients receiving RNT, 14 caregivers, and 11 clinicians; and searching the symptoms/toxicities identified in the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy item library. Items were selected for inclusion in the PRO measure. The item list was refined with input from internationally renowned experts in RNTs and PROs. The draft PRO was then reviewed by patients who evaluated the measure for acceptability, comprehensibility, RNT relevance, and self-efficacy for completion using semistructured interviews.
The researchers developed a brief 15-item measure, which was deemed to be relevant and useful in the context of RNT for PC by key stakeholders. The items address symptoms/toxicities, including dryness of eyes or mouth, difficulty urinating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, bone pain, fatigue, pain, and isolation from others.
"We present the FACT-RNT for PC, a new measure developed through multi-step collaboration with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and international experts. Next steps include assessment of internal consistency, validity, and reliability and use in RNT clinical trials and real-world settings," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and other industries.
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