OBJECTIVE: Prior studies have shown the value of routine symptom monitoring and PRO assessments in oncology on quality of life and clinical outcomes^1,2. The objective of this study is to characterize initial treatment burden in oncology patients, by assessing health resource utilization (HRU) and dose modification, with and without active symptom monitoring.

METHODS: Two cohorts of 50 patients with breast, lung, or gynecologic cancer from an integrated cancer care center were compared. A 50-patient convenience sample was recruited to use PROmpt^®, an application for remote patient reporting and provider symptom management using PRO-CTCAE-derived surveys. Data were abstracted from medical records of 50 historical control patients for comparison. Patients were indexed on treatment initiation from January to May 2021. Hospitalizations, emergency room (ER) visits, and dose modifications (discontinued, reduced, or administration change) during the 3 months after enrollment were recorded. Descriptive analyses and adjusted logistic regression were conducted to assess correlation of matching parameters with resource utilization.

RESULTS: The patient cohort was comprised of 46% gynecologic, 37% breast, and 17% lung malignancies. Within 12 weeks of treatment initiation, 37% of patients experienced hospitalization, 22% experienced ER visits, and 37% required dose modifications. Among patients with dose modification, the hospitalization rates were 49% and ER visits 32%. When comparing patients with symptom monitoring versus historical controls, the rates were 28% vs 46% (p = .05) for hospitalizations, 18% vs 26% (p = .23) for ER visits, and 44% vs 30% (p = .11) for dose modifications. Among patients with dose modification, hospitalization rates were comparable between both cohorts. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the associated health resource utilization and importance of monitoring at cancer treatment initiation. Statistical and directional comparisons between groups with and without remote symptom monitoring further support potential resource utilization reduction with active care planning and symptom management.