First report of cancer survivor utilization of comprehensive internet-based survivorship care plans

Abstract

20547 Background: Over the past three decades, the number of cancer survivors in the US has more than tripled (MMWR 2004), and these patients remain at risk for late effects resulting from cancer treatment. Survivorship care plans (SCP) have been recommended by the Institute of Medicine to improve quality of care for cancer survivors. Here, we report utilization patterns of the first personalized, web-based SCP tool. Methods: A program for creation of SCP, OncoLife, was designed by oncology physicians and nurses and piloted to cancer survivors prior to launch. OncoLife was then made publicly accessible through OncoLink (www.oncolink.org), a website based at the University of Pennsylvania serving over 3.9 million pages/ month to 385,000 unique IP addresses (Aug 2007). Users responded to queries regarding demographics, diagnosis, and cancer treatment. Individualized, comprehensive reports, including recommendations for future care and screening for late toxicity, second malignancy, fertility, and tumor recurrence were then immediately generated. Results: From 5/07–1/08, 1608 individuals completed OncoLife surveys. Median age at cancer diagnosis was 48 yrs (range 18 - 100), and median current age was 51 yrs (19 - 100+). Users were 87% Caucasian and 71% female; 82% of users had education beyond high school. Breast cancer was the most common primary cancer reported (46%), followed by hematologic (12%), gastrointestinal (GI) (11%), gynecologic (9%) and genitourinary (GU) (6%) malignancies. Of all users, 84% had undergone surgery, 80% received systemic chemotherapy, and 60% were treated with radiotherapy as part of cancer treatment. Conclusions: OncoLife represents the first web-based program for creation of SCP, and patients appear willing to use this type of tool. Most survivors using OncoLife have undergone surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, placing them at risk for treatment-related late effects. Utilization of OncoLife by breast and GI cancer survivors is consistent with their prominence in the survivor population, while use by GU cancer survivors appears to be disproportionately low. Future iterations of OncoLife will include healthcare provider and Spanish versions to expand accessibility and allow greater understanding of the needs of modern cancer survivors. No significant financial relationships to disclose.