Health-Related Quality of Life Issues Experienced by Thoracic and Breast Sarcoma Patients: A Rare and Understudied Group
Thoracic and breast sarcomas constitute a rare subgroup within the sarcoma population. There is limited knowledge about their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and a valid disease-specific HRQoL instrument is lacking. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the HRQoL issues experienced by a small group of thoracic and breast sarcoma patients. Semi-structured interviews with 19 thoracic and four breast sarcoma patients were conducted and thematically analysed. Physical issues mentioned by both groups were fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, wound infections, and symptoms related to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Tightness in the back and restrictions in performing tasks above arm hei…
Guidelines for time-to-event end point definitions in sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) trials: results of the DATECAN initiative (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event Endpoints in CANcer trials)
ABSTRACT The DATECAN initiative (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event Endpoints in CANcer trials) aims to provide recommendations for definitions of time-to-event end points in cancer randomized controlled trials. We relied on a consensus method based on a multidisciplinary panel of experts to develop these guidelines for trials on sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Background The use of potential surrogate end points for overall survival, such as disease-free survival (DFS) or time-to-treatment failure (TTF) is increasingly common in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in cancer. However, the definition of time-to-event (TTE) end points is rarely precise and lacks unif…