Real-world assessment of treatment-related symptoms and associated burden among African American and Caucasian patients receiving chemotherapy in the US.

11102 Background: In the treatment of breast cancer, research has identified racial differences in the ability to receive the full dose of prescribed chemotherapy which may be due in part to cancer-treatment symptom burden. In clinical trials, evaluation by race is challenging due to enrollment disparities, with African Americans (AA) accounting for 7% of trial participants, but comprising 12% of the US total population. The objective of this study is to evaluate treatment-related symptoms and treatment burden among patients treated with chemotherapy through an electronic remote symptom monitoring system, and explore whether there were any racial differences. Methods: Patients (pts) diagnosed with multiple myeloma, breast, ovarian, or lung cancer in academic cancer practices were enrolled in Carevive’s Patient Reported Outcomes Mobile Platform (Carevive PROmpt) between September 2020 and June 2023. A total of 1000 pts received chemotherapy alone or in combination. PRO-CTCAE-derived weekly surveys assessed severity, frequency, and interference for 16 symptoms: anxiety, constipation, cough, decreased appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, general pain, insomnia, mouth/throat sores, muscle pain, nausea, numbness and tingling, rash, sadness, shortness of breath, and vomiting. The GP5 assessed weekly overall burden from treatment. Results: The mean age of pts was 60.9 (SD=12.8) years, with 75% female, and 20% AA. At the time of enrollment, fatigue was reported by roughly 48% of AA and Caucasian (C) pts. Muscle pain was noted in 38% of AA pts, followed by general pain (33%), and anxiety (30%), with constipation, decreased appetite, insomnia, nausea, and numbness/tingling occurring in over 20% of pts. A different pattern was observed in C pts, with anxiety occurring in 38%, followed by cough, decreased appetite, general pain, insomnia, muscle pain, nausea, and numbness/tingling present in 20% of pts. The proportion of pts at least “somewhat” bothered by the side effects of treatment were similar (44% AA, 45% C). Conclusions: This study enabled evaluation of symptom burden in cancer in a population closer in racial representation to the real world than in clinical trials; with AA representation being three-fold that seen in clinical trials. Consistent with a qualitative study of AA breast cancer pts, fatigue was identified as the most frequent symptom among those treated with chemotherapy either alone or in combination in the real world. Racial differences in the proportions of pts reporting pain (muscle or general) and anxiety suggest that treating physicians should consider these symptoms to ensure they do not interfere with patients’ ability to receive full chemotherapy courses. Additionally, the levels of anxiety reported in patients highlights the importance of considering concomitant psycho-oncology treatments in cancer therapy.