Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32072031›Full record

ArticleClinical and translational radiation oncology2020

The ALERT-B questionnaire: A screening tool for the detection of gastroenterological late effects after radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

D J J Farnell, J Staffurth, S Sivell, S Ahmedzai, J Andreyev, J Green, D S Sanders, C J Ferguson, S Pickett, A Muls and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and translational radiation oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Patient-reported outcome measurement implementation in cancer survivors: a systematic review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

D J J FarnellSchool of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
J StaffurthVelindre Cancer Centre, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
S SivellMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
S AhmedzaiNational Institute for Health Research, Clinical Research Network - Cancer Cluster Office, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
J AndreyevDepartment of Gastroenterology, Lincoln County Hospital, Lincoln, United Kingdom.
J GreenInstitute of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Cardiff University and Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff and Vale UHB, Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
D S SandersUniversity of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
C J FergusonUniversity of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
S PickettSwansea Centre for Health Economics, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom.
A MulsRoyal Marsden Hospital, Fulham Road, London, United Kingdom.
R O'SheaMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
S H CampbellMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
S E TaylorMacmillan Cancer Survivorship Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
A NelsonMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Funding

Marie Curie MCCC-FCO-11-C
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is an increasing need to measure treatment-related side effects in normal tissues following cancer therapy. The ALERT-B (Assessment of Late Effects of RadioTherapy - Bowel) questionnaire is a screening tool that is composed of four items related specifically to bowel symptoms. Those patients that respond with a "yes" to any of these items are referred on to gastroenterologist in order to improve the long-term consequences of these side effects of radiological treatment. Here we wish to test the ability of this questionnaire to identify these subsequent gastroenterological complications by tracking prostate cancer patients that were positive with respect to ALERT-B. We also carry out receiver-operator curve (ROC) analysis for baseline data for an overall ALERT-B questionnaire score with respect to subscale data for the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC-26) questionnaire. 84.4% and 95.7% of patients identified by the ALERT-B questionnaire demonstrated complications diagnosed at 6 and 12 months post-treatment, respectively. ROC curve analysis of baseline data showed that ALERT-B detected clinically relevant levels of side effects established at baseline by the GSRS diarrhoea subscale (AUC = 0.867, 95% CI = 0.795 to 0.926) and at the minimally important level of side effects for the EPIC bowel subscale (AUC = 0.765, 95% CI = 0.617 to 0.913). These results show that ALERT-B provides a simple and effective screening tool for identifying gastroenterological complications after treatment for prostate cancer.

Indexed as

Gastroenterological late effectsProstate cancerRadiotherapyROC analysis

Identifiers

PMID32072031
PMCPMC7016329

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.