Abstract
9106 Background: Breast cancer and its treatments can produce multiple symptoms that cause distress and impair function. The MDASI, a patient-reported outcome measure of symptoms (sxs) and functional interference has been validated in general oncology and has the potential to inform symptom experience and guide treatment specific to breast cancer patients (pts). Methods: The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) conducted the Symptom Outcomes and Practice Patterns (SOAPP) study at academic and community medical oncology clinics and included pts with breast cancer of all stages and phases of care. At baseline and 4 weeks, pts completed the MDASI. Symptom experiences and psychometric properties of the MDASI in breast cancer pts (n = 1544) were analyzed. Results: The median age was 58 years, and the race/ethnicity included 11% black and 8% hispanic. 5% had ECOG performance status (PS) ≥2. The 5 most prevalent moderate/severe sxs reported at baseline were fatigue (31%), disturbed sleep (27%), drowsiness (21%), hair loss (22%) and dry mouth (19%); moderate/severe skin rash (6%) and vomiting (4%) were the least prevalent. At follow-up, about 1/3 of patients had moderate/severe fatigue and 19% had moderate/severe pain and distress. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were good, with Cronbach alphas of ≥0.85 and intraclass correlations of ≥0.76 for all subscales. Among those whose PS was stable or improving, the change scores in sx severity improved most for sleep disturbance, numbness/tingling, and difficulty remembering things. Significantly higher scores and moderately large effects for the severity scale were reported by pts with poorer PS (ES=.61) and those with local/regional/metastatic disease (ES=.67). Results were similar for the interference scale. Pts whose quality of life (QOL) declined showed greater increase in severity (1.1 vs .07, p<.001) from baseline to follow-up than pts whose QOL was unchanged, demonstrating sensitivity to change. Conclusions: Breast cancer pts have significant sx burden despite well-preserved PS. The MDASI is a valid, reliable, and sensitive sx assessment method for research and patient care in breast cancer outpatients.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
