Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcome Utilization Within National Clinical Trials Network Cooperative Group Radiation Oncology Trials Over the Past 2 Decades.

Purpose: When treating cancer, both quantity and quality of life are valuable, though oncology trials have long placed greater emphasis on the former. The goal of this work was to evaluate how patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been incorporated into radiation therapy trials within the National Clinical Trials Network over the last 2 decades to measure quality of life and to assess how PRO data have been disseminated in publications upon trial conclusion.

Methods And Materials: This cross-sectional study analyzed the frequency of use of PROs in National Clinical Trials Network cooperative group radiation therapy phase 2 and 3 clinical trials over the past 2 decades.