RESUMEN
While telemedicine has been shown to improve the quality of care for cancer patients, it remains underused for older patients (OP), partly due to the assumption that OPs are unabled or unwilling to use digital tools. However, more than 50% of new cancers are diagnosed in people over 70. The ConnectElderlyPatientToDoctor study aimed to evaluate the OP compliance with the use of the digital telemonitoring platform Cureety in oncology. All cancer patients followed at the Military Hospital Bégin were eligible for the study. Patients were invited to respond to a symptomatology questionnaire personalized to their pathology and treatment. An algorithm evaluated the health status of the patient based on the reported adverse events. The population was divided into two groups, OP and younger patients (YP), based on a cut-off at 70 years. The primary endpoint was to assess the compliance of OPs with the use of the digital oncology platform Cureety, compared to YP. From July 2020 to September 2021, a total of 117 patients were included in our study. We found that 66% of the patients were compliant, with no difference between the two groups (71.2% of YP, 61.7% of OP, P = .29). In OPs, progression free survival (PFS) ratio at 6-months was 64.6% in the tolerant patients vs 23.4% in the nontolerant patients (HR = 0.1980, 95% CI = 0.04431-0.8845, P = .0339). The median PFS was 23.3 months in the tolerant group vs 3.3 months in the nontolerant group (P = .0339). The data of overall survival are immature. OPs had a clear benefit from using this platform, similar to what was observed for YP. Patients felt less isolated and felt that they benefited from personalized care with early ambulatory medical care of adverse events. We also found that the health indicators collected with the platform in the first month of treatment are predictive of the progression of the disease. This solution makes it possible to streamline and improve the care pathway of OP.
Asunto(s)
Neoplasias , Telemedicina , Humanos , Neoplasias/terapiaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Telemedicine is currently being adopted for the management of patients in routine care. However, its use remains limited in the context of clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of telemonitoring and patient-reported outcomes collection in the context of clinical trials. METHODS: The patients who were included in an interventional oncology clinical trial were eligible. The patients were registered with a digital tool to respond to a patient-reported outcomes questionnaire (ePRO) based on CTCAE (The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, National Cancer Institute), version 5.0, personalized to their pathology and treatment. An algorithm evaluated the health status of the patient based on the reported adverse events, with a classification in 4 different states (correct, compromise, state to be monitored, or critical state). The main objective was to evaluate the feasibility of remote monitoring via a connected platform of patients included in a clinical trial. RESULTS: From July 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, 39 patients were included. The median age was 71 years (range 41-94); 74% (n=29) were male, and 59% (n=23) had metastatic disease. Out of the 969 ePRO questionnaires completed over the course of the study, 77.0% (n=746) were classified as "correct," 10.9% (n=106) as "compromised," and 12.1% (n=117) as "to be monitored" or "critical." The median response time was 7 days (IQR 7-15.5), and 76% (25/33) of the patients were compliant. Out of the 35 patients who answered a satisfaction questionnaire, 95% (n=33) were satisfied or very satisfied with the tool, and 85% (n=30) were satisfied with their relationship with the health care team. There were 5 unscheduled hospitalizations during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Remote monitoring in clinical trials is feasible, with a high level of patient participation and satisfaction. It benefits patients, but it also ensures the high quality of the trial through the early management of adverse events and better knowledge of the tolerance profile of experimental treatments. This e-technology will likely be deployed more widely in our clinical trials.
RESUMEN
We have studied Er3+, Yb3+, and Ce3+ codoped microchannel waveguides that were developed by two methods: ionic exchange for heavy metal fluoride glasses [ZrF4-BaF2-AlF3-CeF3 (ZBAC)] and vapor phase deposition for transition metal fluoride glasses [PbF2-ZnF2-GaF3 (PZG)] by using a double-pass technique. For the first time to our knowledge, the measurement of propagation losses and amplification tests were carried out by use of the same experimental setup, leading to complete characterization of the waveguides. Net gains higher than 1 dB/cm were achieved in ZBAC Er/Ce single-mode fluoride glass waveguides.