Movember study looks at improving quality of life for men with prostate cancer
Mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer – Movember is taking them all on. Since 2003, we’ve funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world. Now we’re taking another step toward helping men live happier, healthier, longer lives.
We’re funding an initiative that we’re hoping will show whether men with advanced prostate cancer suffer less pain and anxiety, and be less likely to be hospitalised, if their doctors were automatically alerted to contact them when their health began to fail
It’s a new Movember-funded study called IRONMAN EMPRO (Engaging Men in Patient Reported Outcomes) – and it’s one of the first to test whether using regular remote monitoring of prostate cancer symptoms to trigger follow-up calls by clinicians would deliver better outcomes for men than the current standard of care.
How it works
Up to 180 men who are already part of Movember’s global IRONMAN study – an international patient registry for men with advanced prostate cancer – will be recruited to take part in the EMPRO sub-study. The men will be asked to complete a simple five-minute online questionnaire on their health and wellbeing once a month.
" This is one of the first studies to test the concept of whether integrating Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) into real-time care can improve quality of life and outcomes. "
The data is then fed back to the patient’s medical team. If a man’s responses indicate that he is suffering from anxiety, pain, fatigue, social isolation, insomnia, or depression, he will receive either tailored advice on how to manage his symptoms via Movember’s TrueNTH program, or a follow-up call from his medical team within 48 hours.
The sub-study, which is expected to run until May 2024, has activated its first two sites at Macquarie University Hospital, in Australia, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in the US. A further five sites will follow: Eastern Health in Australia; Cross Cancer Institute in Canada; Guys & St. Thomas Hospital, London, UK; University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust in the UK; and the US Weill Cornell Medical Center in the US.
Other sites that will take part on the study using data from the IRONMAN registry are Duke University, US; University of Virginia, US; Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, UK; Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, UK; The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Canada; St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Australia; and Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Data from 19 countries
The AUD $2,329,195 EMPRO sub-study is second study to be launched as part of Movember’s Global Cancer Real World Evidence Network, which brings together a large group of hospitals and research institutions across 19 countries to accelerate improvements in the survival and quality of life of men living with prostate and testicular cancer.
Previous studies in other advanced cancers, including lung cancer and breast cancer, have indicated that integrating Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) into real-time care has a positive impact on survival.
Kellie Paich, Global Director of Clinical Quality and Survivorship at Movember, said: “Effective symptom monitoring is essential during cancer treatment. The current approach relies on patients being able to accurately identify or recall symptoms that require medical attention and initiate contact with their care team.
“This is one of the first studies to test the concept of whether integrating Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) into real-time care can improve quality of life and outcomes, including fewer hospital admissions, for men with advanced prostate cancer.
“We hope that it will contribute to better understanding the experiences of men with advanced prostate cancer and provide an evidence base for best practices for advanced prostate cancer care.”