Patient perspectives on CLL treatment side effects: A sub-analysis of the VOICE survey.

Abstract

7534 Background: Treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), including chemoimmunotherapy and targeted drugs, is associated with various adverse events. We surveyed patients with CLL about their knowledge and attitudes regarding treatments and “side effects” (SEs), a more widely understood term for adverse events. Methods: Clinicians and patient advocacy group representatives developed and distributed a survey from March through December 2022 in 12 countries to patients with CLL who underwent ≥1 line of treatment. The anonymous survey was available via an electronic platform, digital questionnaires (.pdf), or paper forms. This sub-analysis includes items regarding SEs during treatment intervals, although the SEs queried were not comprehensive. Results: Treatment SEs had a moderate or high impact on 27%–43% of patients in every domain queried (Table). Most patients (300/370; 81%) discussed SEs with their physicians “always” or “sometimes”, but (117/277) were seeking more information about the benefits and SEs associated with their treatment, primarily via the internet. When asked how they would respond to common SEs, most patients would consult their physician first . Notably, >10% of them would continue treatment normally if they experienced arrhythmias or cardiac problems, and 21% would continue if they developed hypertension (Table). A similar proportion (11%) would continue treatment if they had an infection, while 23% of them would consider stopping treatment without medical advice if they developed skin cancer. Conclusions: These results show the impacts of SEs from CLL treatment affect substantial numbers of patients in multiple life areas. The responses suggest that despite patient-physician communication about SEs, there is a need to help patients find reliable information about their treatments online as well. Finally, patients’ willingness to stop or continue treatment in the event of various SEs, including cardiovascular or oncologic events, indicates a critical knowledge gap regarding the risk associated with these events. The real-world data presented herein highlights areas in which improved patient education initiatives could directly improve patient outcomes. [Table: see text]