Patient-clinician symptom agreement before and after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: results from the randomized HYPO-RT-PC study.
Ulrika Rönningås, Lars Beckman, Anna-Karin Wennstig et al.
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In 30 seconds
This sub-study of the randomized HYPO-RT-PC trial assessed agreement between patient- and clinician-reported urinary, bowel, and sexual symptoms in 1,180 men receiving conventional or ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Symptoms were assessed before treatment, at its end, and during follow-up through 4 years. Across follow-ups, Spearman correlations ranged from -0.091 to 0.750, and agreement was generally poor. Clinicians consistently underrated urinary and bowel symptoms and overrated sexual activity; findings for erectile dysfunction were inconsistent.
Key findings
- Across follow-ups, Spearman correlations between patient and clinician ratings ranged from -0.091 to 0.750.
- Clinicians consistently underrated urinary and bowel symptoms and overrated sexual activity.
- Results for clinician-patient agreement on erectile dysfunction were inconsistent.
Why it matters
Clinician assessments may not capture the symptom burden patients report during and after prostate radiotherapy. The observed discrepancies support using patient-reported measures alongside clinician evaluations when monitoring urinary, bowel, and sexual symptoms, helping ensure that symptom assessment reflects both perspectives.
What to keep in mind
Agreement was assessed using different instruments for patients and clinicians, and the reported correlations varied widely across symptoms and follow-up assessments.