Outcome Measures and Patient-Reported Metrics in Cancer Rehabilitation

Abstract

Purpose of review: The current panorama of measurement tools for use in cancer rehabilitation is reviewed. For rehabilitation purposes, evaluating function is of the highest priority.

Recent findings: From a patient-reported outcome (PRO) standpoint, SF-36 and EORTC-QLQ-C30 are in most common use in cancer rehabilitation research; these are quality of life measures that contain functional subdomains. Newer tools which are based on item response theory and have options for both computer assisted or short form (SF) administration, including the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and Activity Measure for Post-acute Care (AMPAC) instruments, show increasing use, especially PROMIS Physical Function SF, and, recently, PROMIS Cancer Function Brief 3D, which has been validated in the cancer population, with domains of physical function, fatigue, and social participation, to track clinical rehabilitation outcomes. Evaluating objective measures of function in cancer patients is also crucial. Utilization of clinically feasible tools for cancer rehabilitation, to employ for both screening purposes and for monitoring of rehabilitation treatment efficacy, is an evolving area, much needed to promote further research and improved, consistent clinical care for cancer patients and survivors.

Keywords: Cancer function; Cancer rehabilitation; Cancer survivorship; Functional measurement; Outcome measurement; Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS); Patient-reported outcome measures; Rehabilitation outcomes.