Integrating Audiovisual Immersion Into Pediatric Radiation Therapy Across Multiple Centers: Methodology, Timeliness, and Cost of the Audiovisual-Assisted Therapeutic Ambience in Radiation Therapy Prospective Multi-Institutional Trial

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

PurposeThe Audiovisual Assisted Therapeutic Ambience in Radiotherapy (AVATAR) trial was a prospective multicenter study (NCTXXXXXXXX) examining the combination of video immersion with radiotherapy and was successfully conducted through the collaboration of pediatric radiation oncology teams at 10 institutions independent of any preexisting consortium. We sought to analyze and report the methodology of trial conception and development, process map, and cost. Methods and MaterialsThe study enrolled patients aged 3-10 years preparing to undergo radiation therapy, integrated the combination of AVATAR-based video immersion during radiation therapy at each institution, and offered AVATAR use as an alternative to anesthesia, with rates of anesthesia use and outcomes of serial standardized anxiety and quality of life assessments assessed among the 81 children enrolled. A process map was created based on the trial timeline with the following components: study development time (time from conception of the trial to accrual of first patient, including design phase, agreement and approval phase and site preparation phase), and accrual duration time (time from the first to last accrual). Costs and institutional success rates were calculated. ResultsTime from inception of study to last accrual was 3.6 years (1313 days). The study development time was 417 days (31.7%) and accrual duration time was 896 days (68.3%), with the final 50% of accrual occurring in less than 6 months. Equipment cost was approximately $550 per institution and was covered by funding from the lead study institution. All 10 centers were successful with AVATAR implementation, defined as ≥50% of patients able to avoid anesthesia with use of AVATAR, including centers with both photon and proton therapy. ConclusionsThis report elaborates on the methodology and timeline of trial conception and development using data from a previously published supportive care study combining video immersion with radiotherapy among 10 cooperating pediatric oncology institutions. It highlights the potential for multicenter collaborations on prospective trials integrating supportive care therapies with radiotherapy.