Electronic Tool Provides Insight into Patient Understanding of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

A simple electronic tool may provide valuable insight into patient understanding of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) to drive personalized treatment decision-making, according to a study presented as part of the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

In this study, 62 patients (mean age, 73 years; 63% male; 90% white) were recruited from three sites to complete a tablet-based modified geriatric assessment (mGA) screening at a treatment decision-making time point. The mGA screening tool consisted of the Frailty Index (FI) that included four domains: age, activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, and comorbidities. The investigators also evaluated all falls within the past six months and patient-reported health interference with function. Subsequently, providers were asked the fit/frailty status prior to viewing the mGA results.

According to the results, among 53 provider responses, there was 57% provider concordance with the mGA result; 9% said fit when mGA said intermediate, and 17% said intermediate when mGA said frail. The results showed that when asked about their goals of care, virtually all patients (97%) agreed with the statement “my cancer is curable.” However, the investigators observed that 30% disagreed that the treatment goal was to get rid of all the cancer. Moreover, almost half of patients (n=30) indicated that they want to make treatment decisions together with the provider rather than provider or patient making decision alone. Most patients (73%) were satisfied with the ease of using the survey and took an average 16.3 minutes to complete it.

Wujcik D. Integrating Touchscreen-Based Geriatric Assessment and Frailty Screening for Adults with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia to Drive Personalized Treatment Decisions. Presented at the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program; May 29-31, 2020.