Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40131600›Full record

ArticleOncology and therapy2025

A US Survey Across Seven Early-Stage Cancers Assessing the Humanistic Burden of Recurrence on Patients and Caregivers.

Raquel Aguiar-Ibáñez, Kelly McQuarrie, Ana Martinez, Hannah Penton, Laura DiGiovanni, Rutika Raina, Marieke Heisen, Sayeli Jayade

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Oncology and therapy, 2025. 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. 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

8 authors.

Raquel Aguiar-IbáñezMerck Canada Inc., 16750 Trans-Canada Highway, Kirkland, QC, H9H 4M7, Canada. raquel.aguiar-ibanez@merck.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3839-6966
Kelly McQuarrieMerck & Co., Inc., 126 East Lincoln Avenue, P.O. Box 2000, Rahway, NJ, 07065, USA.
Ana MartinezPharmerit International, LP, OPEN Health Group, 1155 Avenue of the Americas, 34th floor, New York, NY, 10036, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-1233-9095
Hannah PentonPharmerit Coöperatief U.A., OPEN Health Group, Marten Meesweg 107, 3068 AV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9492-7875
Laura DiGiovanniPharmerit International, LP, OPEN Health Group, 1155 Avenue of the Americas, 34th floor, New York, NY, 10036, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8654-0117
Rutika RainaPharmerit Coöperatief U.A., OPEN Health Group, Marten Meesweg 107, 3068 AV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1585-4514
Marieke HeisenPharmerit Coöperatief U.A., OPEN Health Group, Marten Meesweg 107, 3068 AV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5339-6606
Sayeli JayadePharmerit International, LP, OPEN Health Group, 1155 Avenue of the Americas, 34th floor, New York, NY, 10036, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3058-9624

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPatients diagnosed with an early-stage cancer are at risk of recurrence. Although the economic burden of a cancer recurrence is described in the literature, little is known about the humanistic burden of an early-stage cancer recurrence. Therefore, we surveyed patients and caregivers to understand the impact of a first cancer recurrence on patient and caregiver quality of life (QoL).

methodsPatients with early-stage bladder, gastric, head and neck (HN), melanoma, non-small cell lung, renal cell, and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) that recurred and caregivers of such patients completed a self-administered, online survey exploring QoL impacts. QoL was evaluated using de novo questions and the following instruments: EQ-5D-5L (patients and caregivers), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life questionnaire (patients only), and CareGiver Oncology Quality of Life questionnaire (caregivers only). Patient and caregiver responses and scores were stratified by type of cancer and type of recurrence (locoregional or distant/metastatic).

resultsAmong patients (N = 202), QoL was found to differ significantly across tumor types at time of survey, with lower scores seen in patients with renal cell carcinoma, gastric cancer, and HN cancer and higher scores seen in patients with melanoma and TNBC. Among caregivers (N = 100), QoL did not differ across tumor types. In both patients and caregivers, decreases in QoL were observed from pre-recurrence to post-recurrence, with greater worsening in QoL seen with distant/metastatic versus locoregional recurrences. Most patients reported worrying and feeling anxious and stressed about their condition. Most caregivers reported worrying about the cared-for person's cancer getting worse or coming back and that caring for the person was challenging post-recurrence.

conclusionOur findings demonstrate the importance of preventing recurrences and their negative impact on patients' and caregivers' QoL. Early-stage cancer treatments that prevent recurrences can provide better QoL.

Indexed as

Cancer recurrenceCaregiver burdenCarGOQoLEORTC QLQ-C30EQ-5D-5LHumanistic burdenQuality of lifeSurvey

Identifiers

PMID40131600
PMCPMC12130392

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.