Knowledge Gained for Treatment of Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
An educational activity provided by i3 Health has produced knowledge gains and expertise regarding the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).
In the United States, prostate cancer is the most common tumor type affecting men. The American Cancer Society estimated for 2022 that there will be 268,490 new cases diagnosed, with 34,500 of these cases resulting in death. Most patients with mHSPC present with relapse after local treatment, while approximately 5% of all prostate cancer patients present with de novo mHSPC. The treatment of mHSPC has expanded dramatically in recent years with the introduction of several novel therapies. With an array of treatments available, clinicians face the challenge of determining the optimal sequencing of therapies for individual patients, with limited data to guide treatment choices.
To address the knowledge gaps experienced by medical professionals encompassing the latest research and treatments for mHSPC, i3 Health provided a continuing medical education (CME)/ nursing continuing professional development (NCPD)–approved meeting series and enduring activity, New Data and Clinical Perspectives on the Treatment of Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer. The activity was led by Oliver Sartor, MD, Medical Director at Tulane Cancer Center; Pedro Barata, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tulane Cancer Center; Russell Pachynski, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine; and Ulka Vaishampayan, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan. This activity was supported by an independent educational grant from Sanofi Genzyme.
Learners who participated in this activity either attended one of the live meetings offered or visited i3Health.com, where it was made available online from December 28, 2020, until December 27, 2021. The combined number of total learners who participated was 523, with 432 completing the activity for credit. Most learners were registered nurses (60%) or physicians (29%), followed by nurse practitioners (4%), physician assistants (2%), advanced practice nurses (1%), pharmacists (1%), and those who chose "other" as their profession (3%).
The baseline data collected revealed knowledge gaps in the following areas: discussing patient and tumor characteristics that can inform tailored therapeutic approaches for patients with mHSPC, evaluating emerging data on novel treatment combinations and sequences for patients with mHSPC, and assessing strategies to optimize the safety and tolerability of novel therapies for mHSPC.
Participants were given a matching pretest and posttest at the beginning and end of the activity, respectively. The pretest revealed knowledge gaps, with only 23% of learners successful in recognizing that adding radiotherapy to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) would not prolong overall survival for a patient with high metastatic–burden prostate cancer compared with ADT alone; 23% successfully identified hypertension as the most likely adverse event to be experienced by a patient with mHSPC being treated with ADT plus abiraterone/prednisone; 23% successfully understood that adding enzalutamide to ADT/docetaxel would not prolong a patient's survival compared with ADT/docetaxel alone; 29% successfully understood that abiraterone/prednisolone would not result in better quality of life when compared with docetaxel; and 29% successfully identified that administering apalutamide would not be advisable for a patient with the preexisting condition of seizures.
Significant knowledge gains were revealed by the posttest assessment, with 67% more participants successfully understanding radiotherapy plus ADT efficacy for a patient with high metastatic–burden prostate cancer; 67% more successful in identifying ADT plus abiraterone/prednisone adverse events; 68% more successful when understanding enzalutamide efficacy for HSPC; 56% more successful in understanding the efficacy of ADT plus abiraterone/prednisolone for hormone-naive metastatic prostate cancer; and 63% more successful in identifying apalutamide safety.
Upon completion of the activity, 86% of participants reported in a post-activity evaluation that they felt more confident in treating their patients with HSPC, and 86% felt that the material presented would be used to improve the outcomes of their patients.
The data revealed by the posttest assessment affirm the effectiveness of the online educational content and show significant knowledge gains surrounding evolving perspectives and new data for the treatment of mHSPC. i3 Health has determined that the multidisciplinary team may benefit from CME/NCPD activities that provide HSPC education on distinguishing patient and tumor characteristics to tailor treatment, efficacies of novel therapies, and safety and adverse event management.
Resources
i3 Health (2022). New data and clinical perspectives on the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: activity outcomes report. Data on file.
