The incorporation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical trials provides a means for researchers to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient-specific outcomes. When evaluating subjective symptoms, for example, patients are usually the most reliable source of feedback. Consequently, PROs are seen as the gold standard for assessing subjective symptoms.1
In a systematic review published in JAMA Network Open, Kishan Patel, MD, MHS, of the department of internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues evaluated the prevalence of PROs as prespecified endpoints in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of hematological malignancies. They also assessed reporting of PROs in associated primary trial publications.
According to the authors, PROs are not often collected or reported in solid tumor trials, but less is known about RCTs focusing on blood cancers.2