Improving real-world evaluation of patient- and physician-reported tolerability: niraparib for recurrent ovarian cancer (NiQoLe).

Background: Maintenance niraparib at an individualized starting dose (ISD) is established in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (PSROC). However, patients' perspectives on the burden of prolonged maintenance therapy have not been reported in prospective trials or routine practice.

Methods: In the real-life multicenter NiQoLe study, patients with PSROC received ISD maintenance niraparib. The primary objective was to describe physician-reported adverse events (AEs) leading to treatment modification during the first 3 months. Secondary endpoints included patient-reported outcomes (symptomatic AEs using PRO-CTCAE, self-reported fatigue and impact on daily activities/function using FACT-F) collected remotely weekly using a specifically designed electronic device.

Results: Most (80%) of 139 treated patients (median age 70 years) began niraparib at 200 mg/day. Median treatment duration was 5.7 (range 0.2-21.4) months. During the first 3 months, 86 patients (62%) required treatment modification (median 27 days to modification). Physician-reported grade ≥3 niraparib-related AEs occurred in 34 patients (24%); 68 patients (49%) had treatment modification for AEs, predominantly thrombocytopenia. The most frequent patient-reported AEs (PRO-CTCAE) were fatigue, insomnia, constipation, and dry mouth. Self-reported AEs were severe in 66% of patients. At baseline, 33% of patients reported severe fatigue (FACT-F), which generally persisted during niraparib. Physicians systematically underestimated major patient-reported symptoms.

Conclusions: In routine practice, dose modification was often required during the first 3 months despite individualized dosing. Physicians underestimated the burden of fatigue and symptomatic AEs. Digital self-reporting of AEs is feasible, provides patient-centered information complementing physician-reported AEs, and allows fuller appreciation of toxicity in real-world studies.

Clinical Trial Information: NCT03752216.