A team of healthcare providers (HCPs) identified the multidisciplinary approach as the optimal strategy for managing the care of patients with cancer who experience dermatologic adverse effects of monoclonal antibody therapy.
Targeted immunotherapy has led to better cancer treatment outcomes, but many patients treated with these drugs develop dermatologic symptoms and emotional distress. The researchers explored the use of a multidisciplinary approach to managing monoclonal antibody treatment-related skin toxicities. Their findings were published in Supportive Care in Cancer.
This study used a mixed research methodology, using quantitative research that was embedded in a pragmatic prospective study of a registry protocol study. The researchers identified 208 patients from 2 community-based oncology centers in Israel who were treated with MoAB, anti-HER2, and anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies. Of the 208 cases, 50 were selected for further evaluation. Of those, 7 cases were presented to a team of healthcare providers (HCPs) to assess for treatment gaps that would require a multidisciplinary approach.
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The HCPs were asked to read and reflect upon the patient files and provide written feedback that considered questions regarding their approach to managing a patient’s treatment-related dermatologic symptoms. Their answers were analyzed with ATLAS.Ti Scientific Software and themes were identified.
This qualitative analysis revealed 3 main themes: a biophysical perspective, a psycho-social-spiritual perspective, and the implementation of integrated care. These themes emphasize the value of a multidisciplinary approach to managing monoclonal antibody treatment-related skin toxicities in the oncology setting, noted the researchers.
This approach also requires one HCP to serve as a case manager, who can be any of the HCPs on the multidisciplinary care team. In addition, the themes can be better addressed by prompting patients with directed questions when interacting with them.
Study limitations included a potential referral bias among patients who were referred to the integrative oncology program due to the pragmatic nature of the prospective database. Additionally, the assessments of the patient narratives from the HCPs may not be representative of the entire cohort.
A multidisciplinary approach should be considered to personalize the care of oncology patients with dermatological symptoms resulting from treatment with monoclonal antibody drugs, concluded the researchers.
Reference
Kruger D, Samuels N, Lacey J, et al. Exploring a multi-disciplinary model of supportive cancer care for monoclonal antibody treatment-related dermatological symptoms. Support Care Cancer. 2023;31(3):185. doi:10.1007/s00520-023-07642-5
