Checkpoint inhibitors represent new, promising treatment opportunities in the palliative lung cancer setting. Among programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, atezolizumab (Tecentriq® ), a PD-L1 inhibitor, has been shown to ameliorate outcomes for NSCLC patients with metastatic disease: The open-label phase II multicenter studies POPLAR and BIRCH revealed an improved overall response rate and a benefit in overall survival (OS) under atezolizumab monotherapy. The open-label, randomized phase III OAK trial led to atezolizumab approval as monotherapy for patients with metastatic NSCLC whose disease progressed during or following platinumcontaining chemotherapy regardless of PD-L1 status.~Despite these developments, platinum-based chemotherapy regimens are still standard of care for lung cancer without druggable alterations. Lately combining conventional chemotherapeutics with immunotherapy showed promising results: A phase I study of first-line atezolizumab plus chemotherapy demonstrated efficacy regardless of PD-L1 status and an acceptable safety profile in multiple tumor types. Accordingly, ongoing phase III trials address potential benefits of platinum-based immunotherapy combinations in comparison to standard platinum-containing regimens in first-line NSCLC and SCLC. If additional bevacizumab might further enhance atezolizumab efficacy by inhibiting vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)-related immunosuppression is currently investigated in the IMpower150 trial.~Patients under intensive care for advanced cancers develop symptoms due to cancer progression and, possibly, due to therapy-related sideeffects. These symptoms are often not detected promptly by the treating physician leading to functional impairment and deconditioning of the patient's status with potential implications for the general outcome. Improved symptom control in late-stage cancer under exhaustive therapy regimens was achieved through intensified symptom management. Systematic collection of symptom information by electronic patientreported outcomes (ePROs) in addition to clinical routine provides an attractive basis for intensified symptom management. However, despite new, intriguing results, the proof of a significant benefit (defined as primary outcome measure) under first-line treatment is still limited in oncology trials.~In the palliative setting of lung cancer, routine treatment monitoring includes imaging at certain intervals. However, as approaching imaging assessments clarify the patient's fate, they are often a source for anxiety and concern. Additionally, patients with emerging symptoms often wait until the next routinely scheduled consultation with their treating oncologist. As a consequence, tumor progression without therapeutic hindrance over several weeks may occur and naturally shorten the patient's survival time. Clinical monitoring via self-assessed symptom-based approaches endows several benefits. Remarkably, 75-95% of relapses in lung cancer patients come with symptoms and, thus, a direct PRO measurement might be useful in the detection of an early disease progression. Easily accessible web-based application tools such as CANKADO were developed to report PROs more frequently compared to routine assessment. These tools help to strengthen the connection between patient and treating physician and to reduce patients' anxiety. Of note, even during treatment with toxic chemotherapy, most patients are willing and able to self-report via the web. Physicians appreciate PROs and trust in patient-reported information. In line with this, several promising studies confirmed a benefit from proactive, web-based monitoring programs. If symptoms occurred or worsened, the respective physician was informed earlier what resulted n improved OS, quality of life (QoL) and also in economic advantages due to less unnecessary routine check-ups. So far, these studies were performed on heterogeneous patient populations during chemotherapy. The current study is aimed to test the benefit of a web-based application tool in NSCLC, SCLC and TNBC patients during the recently approved first-line treatment strategy with atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy.
The current study is aimed to test the benefit of a web-based application tool in NSCLC, SCLC and TNBC patients during the recently approved first-line treatment strategy with atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy.