New Data from Immunotherapy Study at Fred Hutchinson Accepted for Two Abstracts at 2023 ASCO
Treatment Technologies & Insights’ (TTI) ePRO app solution, Wave Health, enabled innovative approach to capture real-world symptoms and side effects
Seattle, WA and El Segundo, CA, May 31, 2023 – The Wave Health digital health platform, used to collect patient symptom and quality of life information in an innovative research study, comprises two abstracts accepted to the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. The study used TTI’s electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO) platform to measure a variety of symptoms and aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the “ImmunoWave” study, conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Dr. Hall, Assistant Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and University of Washington School of Medicine, who led the study said, “Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have transformed the care of many cancers and are among the most commonly prescribed cancer medications in the United States. Relatively little is known about the symptom and life experience of patients who have received this type of treatment in the past. The use of a patient-friendly ePRO system in this study enabled us to frequently and conveniently assess symptoms and quality of life in a group of patients who are not frequently coming in for infusions and visits.”
The study assessed for the presence of eleven symptoms and overall quality of life in a group of participants with prior exposure to ICI therapy or ongoing long-term ICI treatment. Participants in the study completed weekly symptom and HRQoL assessments using Wave Health. The two abstracts submitted to the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting include:
Study participants completed the majority of the assessments, providing crucial evidence of the feasibility of this technology to measure symptoms and HRQoL in this population. Participants reported frequent, persistent, and often severe symptoms, most notably fatigue, mental health symptoms and musculoskeletal symptoms. The study also identified which symptoms appeared to correlate most with diminished quality of life. For example, symptoms of depression, joint pains, and shortness of breath were associated with decreased physical functions on HRQoL measures.
“This study demonstrated that ePRO assessment is feasible in the population of cancer patients who are receiving or have completed ICI therapy. We have been able to collect much richer data using this approach than if we had relied on patients completing pen-and-paper questionnaires when they presented for clinic visits. This study lays the groundwork for future important studies of patient experience during and after ICI treatment,” said Dr. Hall.
TTI CEO and Wave Health creator, Matt Lashey, added: “These early learnings have already informed multiple new projects underway in Europe centered on both early and later stage cancer patients. In addition to the app, we now have a connected ePRO portal, Wave Health Connect, to elevate shared decision making and drive the ability to triage emerging adverse events.”
For the “ImmunoWave” study, in addition to weekly ePRO monitoring resulting in high questionnaire completion rates, study participant feedback on the Wave Health app tool was very positive. Specifically, of those patients who completed the study off-boarding survey: 90% said they would “recommend the app to a friend going through similar circumstances;” and 80% said using the Wave Health app “helped them understand better how to live with their condition.” Correspondingly, less than 5% of participants who completed the study off-boarding questionnaire, did not find the app “easy to use.”
Treatment Technologies & Insights/Wave Health
TTI is a digital health insights and real world data (RWD) company, powered by the best-in-class electronic patient reported outcome (ePRO) ecosystem, Wave Health. Born from a personal cancer experience, Wave Health transforms the understanding and management of chronic conditions – outside the clinical setting. Wave Health App empowers patients to become more active partners with their care teams by helping them track and communicate their symptoms and experiences; the Wave Connect PRO Portal enables care teams to digitally augment care, with a lens into the patient journey at home; and Wave Health RWD supplements clinical data with critical context and individual variables.
Originally published at www.tti.care.
