The following is a summary of “Prevalence, Severity, and Co-Occurrence of SPPADE Symptoms in 31,866 Patients With Cancer,” published in the MAY 2023 issue of Pain Management by Kroenke, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to examine the prevalence, severity, and co-occurrence of the six SPPADE symptoms (sleep disturbance, pain, physical function impairment, anxiety, depression, and low energy/fatigue) and their association with cancer type and patient characteristics. The SPPADE symptoms are common and often undertreated in oncology and other clinical populations. They can co-occur, leading to greater symptom burden and reduced quality of life.

The study analyzed baseline data from the E2C2 study, a population-level clinical trial evaluating a symptom management model targeting the six SPPADE symptoms. Symptom prevalence and severity were measured using a 0-10 numeric rating scale, and the prevalence of severe (NRS ≥ 7) and clinically relevant (NRS ≥ 5) symptoms and symptom co-occurrence were determined. The minimally important difference (MID) was estimated using distribution-based methods. Associations of cancer type and patient characteristics with a SPPADE composite score were also analyzed.

A total of 31,886 patients had their SPPADE symptoms checked before, during, or right after an outpatient medical oncology appointment. Between 17.5% for depression and 33.4% for fatigue, individuals had a higher prevalence of symptoms that might be clinically significant. Co-occurrence of symptoms ranged from 45.2% for fatigue to 68.6% for depression among patients with three or more additional clinically relevant symptoms. The total of the SPPADE composite scores showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86), and the MID estimations were initially between 4.1 and 4.3. Many cancer kinds had different symptom burdens, but most sociodemographic factors were comparable.

The high prevalence and co-occurrence of SPPADE symptoms across all cancer types highlighted the need for clinical approaches that prioritize detecting and managing these symptoms to improve patient outcomes.

Source: jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(23)00054-4/fulltext