The impact of surgery on patients with VHL-associated tumors: An international patient survey.

Authors

null

Murali Sundaram

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ

Murali Sundaram , Christian Atkinson , Joshua Mann , Charley Cooper , Gavin Taylor-Stokes , Othon Iliopoulos

Organizations

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, Adelphi Real World, Bollington, United Kingdom, VHL Alliance, Boston, MA, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Research Funding

Pharmaceutical/Biotech Company
Merck & Co

Background: Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL) is a rare hereditary neoplastic disorder caused by mutations in the VHL gene. Treatment (tx) options for patients are limited to multiple surgeries dispersed between regular scans, watchful waiting and txs that preserve organ function. Methods: An international, cross-sectional survey comprising patients in the United States (US), Canada (CA), the United Kingdom (UK), France (FR), and Germany (DE) was conducted. Patients were recruited via the VHL Alliance; data were collected between Dec 2021 and May 2022. For inclusion, patients must have renal cell carcinoma (RCC), pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET), and/or central nervous system hemangioblastoma (CNS-Hb). Data collected included demographics, impact of most recent surgery on aspects of condition (1-7 scale 1 being greatly worsened and 7 being greatly improved), tx goals (top 3 goals from a list of 11), and patient preference in treatment. Patients were presented two scenarios “watch and wait” and potentially need surgery, or “take a once-daily pill” to delay a potential surgery. Results: 220 patients (68.2% female, median age 40.0, median disease duration 15.8 years) in the US (n=108), CA (n=37), the UK (n=21), FR (n=3), and DE (n=51) completed the study. 146 patients reported RCC (66.4%), n=122 reported pNET (55.5%), and n=190 reported CNS-Hb (86.4%). Among the top 4 symptoms experienced by patients were kidney cysts (n=82, 37.3%), numbness (n=59, 26.8%), dizziness (n=56, 25.5%), and fatigue/low energy (n=54, 24.5%). 205 (93.2%) patients had experienced surgery; n=171 (77.7%) had experienced multiple surgeries (median number of surgeries, 4.0). 166 patients recorded data on their most recent surgery. Of these, patients reported that their most recent surgery worsened (scored 1-3) their fatigue (51.8%), mental health (51.2%), and ability to go about daily life (45.2%). 47.3% of patients selected reduce the number of surgeries as a top tx goal, 46.4% selected being able to go about life as usual, 36.8% delay the need for surgery, and 33.2% improved quality of life. 73% of patients indicated they would prefer to take a pill which would possibly delay the time until surgery, rather than watch and wait to see if the tumor would grow. Conclusions: Surgery negatively impacts the lives of patients, leading to a worsening in their fatigue, mental health, and ability to go about daily life. Almost half of patients would like a treatment that reduces the number of surgeries, and over a third would like a treatment that delays the need for surgery. Nearly three quarters of patients would prefer to take a pill that might delay the need for surgery. Tx options that reduce the need for surgery would benefit this patient group.

Disclaimer

This material on this page is ©2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology, all rights reserved. Licensing available upon request. For more information, please contact licensing@asco.org

Abstract Details

Meeting

2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Discussion Session

Session Title

Genitourinary Cancer—Kidney and Bladder

Track

Genitourinary Cancer—Kidney and Bladder

Sub Track

Kidney Cancer

Citation

J Clin Oncol 41, 2023 (suppl 16; abstr 4517)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.4517

Abstract #

4517

Poster Bd #

9

Abstract Disclosures

Similar Abstracts

First Author: Lin Wang

First Author: Maria Isabel Carlo