Dr Patt Reflects on the Evolution of ePRO Monitoring

At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president of Texas Oncology and president of Community Oncology Alliance, reflects on the growing body of evidence supporting electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) and their potential to redefine the standard of care for patients receiving systemic cancer therapy.

Patt discussed how the latest findings build on nearly a decade of research demonstrating the value of continuous symptom monitoring. She pointed to landmark work presented in 2017 which showed that routine collection of electronic patient-reported outcomes enabled patients to remain on therapy longer and was associated with an overall survival benefit. According to Patt, subsequent studies have continued to reinforce those findings across a variety of practice settings.

She also highlighted research conducted within Texas Oncology and the multicenter real-world analysis presented at ASCO 2026, noting that the accumulating evidence consistently demonstrates improved time on therapy, fewer treatment-related adverse events, and reductions in overall healthcare costs when remote symptom monitoring is incorporated into routine care. For community oncology practices, these findings underscore the potential value of integrating digital patient engagement tools into existing workflows to identify toxicities earlier and intervene before complications require hospitalization.

Patt emphasized that this expanding evidence base represents more than an incremental improvement in supportive care. Rather, she believes continuous electronic symptom monitoring is becoming a new standard for managing patients receiving therapies with significant toxicity profiles. By enabling earlier intervention, improving treatment continuity, and reducing avoidable healthcare utilization, ePRO-guided care has the potential to improve patient outcomes while supporting more efficient delivery of oncology care in the community setting.

REFERENCE

Essell JH, Derman BA, Kolodziej MA, et al. Impact of remote therapeutic monitoring with patient-reported outcomes on hospitalization in real-world patients receiving therapy for metastatic solid tumors. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(16_suppl):11005-11005. doi:10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.11005