Advances in diagnosis and treatment have helped increase cure rates for many cancers. However, the disease and its treatments are often accompanied by short-, mid- and long-term organic and psychosocial sequelae and increased risk of second cancer, adding to that, all pre-existing comorbidities, lifestyle risks and hereditary factors. At the Centre Leon Berard Cancer center, we launched a project named PASCA (Parcours de Sante au cours du Cancer) that aims at structuring and optimizing a follow-up schedule for patients suffering from breast cancer, testicular germ tumor, acute leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, as well as patients who received hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT). The main objective of the program is the early detection and specific management of risk factors for second cancer as well as sequelae management after the acute treatment phase with the final objective of quality of life improvement. Follow-up and evaluation are done through the establishment of a multidisciplinary organic assessment, anthropometric and physical fitness, psychic and socio-professional evaluation, the aim is to establish a score for each assessment, complementary to the specific oncology and hematology monitoring, that allows later to establish a personalized and adapted sequelae management and prevention of complications that could significantly impact the patient quality of life but also compromise the optimal management of the malignant disease. Patients were referred to PASCA by the oncologist/hematologist after being discharged from the acute phase of treatment, an information sheet about the program was given as well as a package containing different questionnaires to capture information about risk factors, general health, social status, quality of life and others. At the same time a series of medical laboratory requests were ordered to get a full medical assessment. Based on the questionnaires/medical evaluation a score was given for each type of assessment. Score 0 means the patients needs only a simple follow-up, score 1 means the patient needs to be followed by the family doctor for the specific issue, and score 2 means there is a need for specialist intervention. We put together a network of internal medicine or organ specific doctors in addition to fitness-physiotherapy specialist as well as many other specialists available to intervene for patients with score 2.
We started in Hematology a pilot phase that included non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL, N=27) and multiple myelomas (MM, N=27) patients, 15 (28%) females and 39 (72%) males. Median age at evaluation was 60 years (range: 56-65), all patients except 8 (all NHL) received autologous HSCT. Here we present some of the most relevant PASCA assessments with the different scores: nephrology (0: 94%, 1:6%), cardiology (0:27%, 1:63%, 2:10%), hepatology (0:49%, 1:42%, 2:9%), pneumology (0:41%, 1:39%, 2:20%), sexual (0:67%, 1:14%, 2:9%), dermatology (0:78%, 1:13%, 2:9%), pain (0:43%, 1:31%, 2:26%), gynecology (0:56%, 2:44%), endocrinology (0:67%, 1:31%, 2:2%), malnutrition (0:75%, 1:8%, 2:17%), obesity (0:54%, 1:20%, 2:26%), flexibility (0:46%, 1:27%, 2:27%), employment (0:76%, 2:24%), fatigue (0:24%, 1:2%, 2:73%), anxiety (0:56%, 1:22%, 2:22%), and depression (0:80%, 1:10%, 2:10%). In addition, a list of FACT questionnaires was collected for all patients as baseline evaluation and will be compared later during follow-up. During the PASCA consult visit, patient was informed about his different assessment results and in case of any score 1 or 2, a referral to the family doctor or a specialist was requested. Planned 6- and 12-months evaluation are ongoing to evaluate the potential improvement after PASCA program.
Our results from this pilot study showed a real need for specific follow-up on the medical level but also on social/well being level that is in most of the cases given less priority when the patient is seen in oncology/hematology clinic. We noticed a significant positive feedback from patients included in this program and we expect to see a drastic improvement on the medical, psychological and social level as well as on quality of life.
We are starting the full PASCA program that will include also patients with breast cancers, germ cells cancers and sarcoma. A protocol for a randomized multicentric study is in preparation and will allow to evaluate the impact and the importance of such program in patients with malignant diseases.
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Author notes
Asterisk with author names denotes non-ASH members.
