Patient-reported outcomes in patients with hematological relapse or progressive disease:a longitudinal observational study

Abstract Background Patients with hematological cancer who experience relapse or progressive disease often face yet another line of treatment and continued mortality risk that could increase their physical and emotional trauma and worsen their health-related quality of life. Healthcare professionals who use patient-reported outcomes to identify who will have specific sensitivities in particular health-related quality of life domains may be able to individualize and target treatment and supportive care, both features of precision medicine. Here, in a cohort of patients with relapsed or progressive hematological cancer, we sought to identify health-related quality of life domains in which they experienced deterioration after relapse treatment and to investigate health-related quality of life patterns. Method Patients were recruited in connection with a precision medicine study at the Department of Hematology, Aalborg University Hospital. They completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the relapse diagnosis or progressive cancer. Modes of completion were electronically or on paper. Clinically relevant changes from baseline to 12 months were interpreted according to Cocks’ guidelines. We quantified the number of patients with moderate or severe symptoms and functional problems and the number who experienced improvements or deterioration from baseline to 12 months. Results A total of 104 patients were included, of whom 90 (87%) completed baseline questionnaires and 50 (56%) completed the 12-month assessments. The three symptoms that patients most often reported as deteriorating were fatigue (18%), insomnia (18%), and diarrhea (18%). The three functions that patients most often reported as deteriorating were role (16%) and emotional (16%) and cognitive (16%) functioning. Conclusion In this study, patient-reported outcome data were useful for identifying negatively affected health-related quality of life domains in patients with relapsed or progressive hematological cancer. We identified patients experiencing deterioration in health-related quality of life during treatment and characterized a potential role for patient-reported outcomes in precision medicine to target treatment and supportive care in this patient group

Geographical and ecological analyses of multiple myeloma in Denmark:Identification of potential hotspot areas and impact of urbanisation

BACKGROUND: The aetiology of multiple myeloma (MM) is unknown but various environmental exposures are suspected as risk factors. We present the first paper analysing the geographical distribution of MM in Denmark at the municipal level to investigate variations that could be explained by environmental exposures.METHODS: Patients diagnosed with MM in Denmark during 2005-2020 were identified from nationwide registries and grouped into the 98 Danish municipalities based on residence. The age- and sex-standardised incidence rate (SIR) of each municipality was compared to the national incidence in a funnel plot with 95% control limits. Differences in SIRs of rural, suburban, and urban areas were evaluated with incidence rate ratios.RESULTS: In total, 5243 MM patients were included. Overall, we found a heterogeneous geographical distribution of MM and a potential hotspot in southern Denmark. This hotspot contains three municipalities with SIRs above the 95% control limit assuming considerably higher rate of MM compared to the national incidence rate. A significant higher SIR was found in rural areas compared to urban areas.CONCLUSION: The geographical distribution of MM in Denmark indicates that the risk of developing MM depends on place of residence probably due to environmental factors.</p

ccostr: An R package for estimating mean costs with censored data

An R package, ccostr, which calculates estimates of mean cost given censored data - Version 0.1.0