PURPOSE: CNS metastases are associated with decreased survival and quality of life for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Team-based care can optimize outcomes. IMPACT the Brain is a care coordination program that aims to improve access to team-based care for patients with MBC and CNS metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with MBC and CNS metastases were eligible for enrollment in this care coordination program. A team of specialists supported a dedicated program coordinator who provided navigation, education, specialty referral, and clinical trial screening. A unique intake form developed for the program created personalized, coordinated, and expedited specialty referrals. Patient-reported outcomes and caregiver burden assessments were collected on a voluntary basis throughout enrollment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Sixty patients were referred, and 53 were enrolled (88%). The median time to program enrollment was 1 day (range, 0-11) and to first visit was 5 days (range, 0-25). On the basis of the program intake form, 47 referrals were made across six specialties, most commonly physical medicine and rehabilitation (n = 10), radiation oncology (n = 10), and neuropsychology (n = 10). Nineteen patients (36%) consented to enroll in clinical trials. CONCLUSION: A tailored team-based care coordination program for patients with MBC and CNS metastases is feasible. Use of a unique intake screening form by a dedicated program coordinator resulted in faster time to first patient visit, enabled access to subspecialist care, and supported enrollment in clinical trials. Future research should focus on intervention development using PRO data collected in this care coordination program.
47 Background: Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are associated with decreased survival and quality of life for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Multi-disciplinary care can optimize outcomes. This project aims to improve access to coordinated care for patients with MBC and CNS metastases while assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in the context of the multidisciplinary care experience. Methods: Patients with MBC and CNS metastases are referred and offered to enroll in our care coordination program. A team of specialists (breast medical oncology, breast cancer genetics, radiation oncology, neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), neuropsychology, and palliative care) supports a dedicated program coordinator who provides navigation, education, specialty referral, and clinical trial screening. A unique intake form developed for the program creates personalized, coordinated, and expedited referrals. PROs and caregiver assessments are collected on a voluntary basis using the following validated questionnaires: PROMIS Cancer Function Brief 3D Profile, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Brain Tumor (MDASI), and Short Form Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12), a screening tool for caregiver burden. Results: Since May 2020, 43 patients were referred and a total of 40 patients (93%) were enrolled – 2 (5%) declined due to perceived burden of participation and 1 (2%) died before enrollment. The majority of patients were White (n = 34, 85%). Median time to program intake was 1 day (range: 0-8 days). Of the 43 patients referred, 17 (40%) consented to research studies in the metastatic setting. 11 were for an interventional trial (65%), while 9 consents were for non-interventional studies (53%). In addition to the initially referred specialty, 56 referrals were made across 7 sub-specialties; 37 patients (66%) were subsequently seen by a sub-specialist, most commonly radiation oncology (n = 9), PM&R (n = 9), neuro-oncology (n = 8), and neuropsychology (n = 8). Of the nine patients seen by PM&R, 5 completed the PROMIS Profile (55%). Similar completion rates were seen for the MDASI (13 of 23 surveys given, 56.5%) and ZBI-12 (13 of 26 surveys given, 50%) questionnaires. Conclusions: Implementation of a care coordination program for patients with MBC and CNS metastases allows for improved access to care across sub-specialties and supports participation in clinical research for a group of cancer patients historically underrepresented in research studies. Though completion of questionnaires is optional in this program, the rate of completion raises the question of whether this patient population faces unique challenges that make it difficult to complete questionnaires that are often required in research studies. Funding source: National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Research Program from financial support from Pfizer.
e18635 Background: Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are associated with decreased quality of life for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Collecting patient-reported outcome (PRO) data can identify patient needs and inform patient-focused interventions. IMPACT the Brain is a care coordination program that aims to improve access to multidisciplinary care for patients with MBC and CNS metastases. The purpose of this study is to report baseline PRO data obtained as part of this program. Methods: Patients with MBC and CNS metastases are referred for enrollment in the program. PROs and caregiver assessments are collected on a voluntary basis at baseline and every 3 months. We performed a retrospective review of the baseline PRO data to determine: (1) type and severity of cancer-related symptoms reported by patients and (2) degree of burden reported by caregivers. The PROMIS Cancer Function Brief 3D Profile measures physical function (PF), fatigue (Fat), and social participation (Soc) in patients with cancer; 50.0 is the population mean and higher scores indicate a greater degree of a trait. The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT) measures severity of cancer-related symptoms including interference with daily life. A score > 4 represents moderate symptoms and > 6 severe symptoms. The mean of the interference items represents overall symptom distress. The Short Form Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12) evaluates caregiver burden; a score ≥ 10 suggests mild burden while > 20 suggests high burden. PRO scores were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: Sixty patients were referred and 54 (90%) enrolled; median age was 53 years (range 31-81). 47 questionnaires were collected at baseline from 32 participants. Average PROMIS T-scores were 37.0 for PF (31.9-51.2), 59.9 for Fat (48.9-66.8), and 42.3 for Soc (32.8-57.1). Participants reported greatest difficulty with performing heavy housework and completing usual work. The mean symptom severity score reported on the MDASI-BT (n = 20) was 2.82 (SD 1.56). Fatigue was the most severe symptom (mean 5.2, SD 2.7) and 25% of patients reported moderate symptoms. The mean interference score was 3.9 (SD 2.66), with 20% of patients reporting moderate and 30% reporting severe overall symptom distress. 65% of caregivers (n = 17) had at least mild caregiver burden on the ZBI-12. Of those, almost half (45.5%) had a score consistent with high burden. Conclusions: Collecting baseline PROs was feasible and provided valuable information about the patient experience. Symptoms experienced by patients with MBC and CNS metastases, particularly fatigue, interfere with ability to carry out usual activities. The distress caused by these symptoms may not correlate with the severity reported by the patient. Given the prevalence of burden experienced by caregivers, further work is needed to explore relationships among symptom distress, symptom severity, and caregiver burden.
Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are associated with decreased survival and quality of life for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Multi-disciplinary care can optimize outcomes. This project aims to improve access to coordinated care for patients with MBC and CNS metastases. Patients with MBC and CNS metastases are referred and offered to enroll in our care coordination program. A team consisting of specialists (breast medical oncology, breast cancer genetics, radiation oncology, neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), neuropsychology, and palliative care) supports a dedicated program coordinator who provides navigation, education, specialty referral, and clinical trial screening. A unique intake form developed for the program creates personalized, coordinated, and expedited referrals. Patient-reported outcomes and caregiver burden assessments are collected. Since May 2020, 43 patients were referred and a total of 40 patients (93%) were enrolled – 2 (5%) declined due to perceived burden of participation and 1 (2%) died before enrollment. 85% of patients were Caucasian (n = 34) and 15% were non-Caucasian (n=6). Median time to program intake was 1 day (range: 0–8 days). Of the 43 patients referred, 17 (40%) consented to research studies in the metastatic setting. 11 were for an interventional trial (65%), while 9 consents were for non-interventional studies (53%). In addition to the initially referred specialty, 56 referrals were made across 7 sub-specialties; 37 patients (66%) were subsequently seen by a sub-specialist, most commonly radiation oncology (n = 9), neuro-oncology (n=8), PM&R (n=8), and neuropsychology (n=8). Implementation of a care coordination program for patients with MBC and CNS metastases is feasible. Further, it allows for improved access to care across sub-specialties and supports participation in clinical research for a group of cancer patients historically underrepresented in research studies. Funding: National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Research Program from financial support provided by Pfizer.
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