TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL MEDICINE - Georgian Medical Journal

Prof. Kaasa is Head of Department of Oncology at Oslo University Hospital, Professor of Palliative Medicine at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Director of the European Palliative Care Research Centre.

Introduction

Cancer is a major public health and economic issue, and the burden it imposes is set to exponentially increase. There were over 19 million cases in 2020, and we can expect 29 million cases by 2040 due to population growth and aging. In 2020, cancer was the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 10 million deaths.  About half of the cancer patients survived. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.  Thanks to innovative technologies for early detection and early prevention, as well as new therapies for more effective anticancer treatments, the death toll will most likely not increase proportionally. Instead, with these advances, higher cure rates and more patients living longer with cancer, the importance of supportive, palliative, survivorship and end-of-life care for cancer patients will increase.

The MyPath consortium is funded by EU for five years starting 010922. The consortium consists of fourteen partners, including nine centers, two companies and three professional and patient organizations.

The Challenge: There is a need for a radically new approach to improved supportive, palliative, survivorship and end-of-life care of cancer patients that also benefits families, communities and health systems. Cancer care still has silos, and to this day, there is no technological support available that is suitable for different cultures, settings and environments. The ‘holy grail’ in cancer care is the delivery of patient-centred care, which is known to work best for every patient, with their increased involvement in care. As stated in a call for action put forth by the European Cancer Control Joint Action , the gold standard of care consists of a combination of patient- and tumour-centred approaches. Several randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have provided evidence that the integration of patient-centred care in standard oncology care results in better patient and caregiver outcomes. Such care results in reduced symptom burden, better symptom management, increased patient and caregiver satisfaction with care, less psychological distress and better quality of life, and it is thought to prolong patients’ survival. 

The Solution: MyPath combines novel patient-centred care pathways (PCCPs), patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) and treatment decision support incorporated in a user-friendly digital platform. MyPath will be integrated in routine cancer care, and its implementation in 9 cancer centres in Europe will be formally studied to prove its effectiveness and sustainability.

The electronic PROMs and PREMs of Eir, a platform developed to improve the process of recording patient outcomes, will be improved in MyPath. New features will be made available in the project along with treatment decision support, and MyPath will be configured on the eHealth platform of our SME partner, Imatis.

We will implement MyPath using an implementation science methodology, with the aim of establishing integrated and efficient patient-centred care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and values.