Abstract 4572
Background
Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE), a European digestive cancers patient organisation, planned and carried out an international survey on the Unmet Needs of Patients Living with mCRC. The aim was to better understand the challenges, needs, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of those living with mCRC in 15 European countries.
Methods
Nurses and clinicians together with DiCE partner organisations recruited patients to fill in the survey (online or paper). Data collected included information on demographics, the disease discovery, diagnosis and treatment and support received. Questions on discovery and diagnoses covered reasons for contacting physicians, symptoms experience, the lag time between first symptoms and seeking clinical help, and misdiagnosis. Single data entry from paper surveys was executed by DiCE. Data were analyzed descriptively.
Results
883 surveys were collected and analyzed: Austria (8), Belgium (65), Cyprus (57), Hungary (103), Ireland (3), Italy (36), Germany (22), Netherlands (40), Norway (1), Poland (163), Portugal (24), Serbia (170), Spain (112), Turkey (26) and the UK (53). Item completion rates were high. Mean time with mCRC was 2yrs. Diagnosis was established at a routine visit for 20%; at visits due to CRC-related or non-CRC related symptoms (41% and 26%); or at emergency hospitalization (19%); with only 5% through screening. CRC symptom awareness was very low: on average only 28% of patients knew before what symptoms CRC may present. Although 39% of patients waited <1 month from observing symptoms, 31% waited 1–3 months, 12% waited 3–6 months and the rest even longer. Similar time distribution was observed for diagnosis. Misdiagnoses was indicated by 25%. Patient satisfaction was relatively high: 43% of patients were very satisfied with the process of establishing a diagnosis, with large variation across countries.
Conclusions
Awareness of patients with CRC is low, with few respondents recognising symptoms and seeking help without delay. Misdiagnosis levels are still high. Despite the existence of various screening in surveyed countries, awareness and compliance rates are low. The conditions of the discovery of mCRC need to be improved both on the patient awareness and the clinical side.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
EuropaColon / Digestive Cancers Europe.
Funding
Merck, BMS, Sandoz and Sirtex.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Resources from the same session
4732 - Progesterone Receptor Isoform Ratio Dictates Antiprogestins/Progestins Effects on Metastatic Breast Cancer Models
Presenter: Maria Abascal
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
5737 - PAM50 and CGH-array genomic characterization of HER2-Equivocal Breast Cancers defined by the 2018 ASCO/CAP recommendations.
Presenter: Carine Ngo
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
1096 - OncotypeDX® predictive nomogram for recurrence score output: a machine learning system based on quantitative immunochemistry analysis - ADAPTED01
Presenter: Fabio Marazzi
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
5426 - Geriatric parameters predict both disease-related and patient-reported outcomes in older patients with breast cancer
Presenter: Willeke van der Plas-Krijgsman
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
5865 - Patients with a 21-gene assay in South East London differ from the TAILORx trial population
Presenter: Charalampos Gousis
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
1312 - Predictive tools in adjuvant breast cancer – what is the standard of evidence supporting their utility? A literature review examining validation of Adjuvant!, Cancermath and NHS Predict
Presenter: Alice Loft
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
2445 - Oncologic outcome of invasive lobular carcinoma: Is it different from that of invasive ductal carcinoma?
Presenter: Hee Jun Choi
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
2476 - Pathologic response and survival efficacy in patients with initial nodal involvement after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer
Presenter: SERAFIN MORALES Murillo
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
3761 - Chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea: prognostic impact on premenopausal Egyptian patients with breast cancer
Presenter: Khaled Abdel Karim
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
4687 - Predicting the presence of breast cancer using circulating small RNA in the serum
Presenter: Yumiko Koi
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract