Technical Innovations & Patient Support in Radiation Oncology (Mar 2024)

Prospective evaluation of patient-reported anxiety and experiences with adaptive radiation therapy on an MR-linac

  • Amanda Moreira,
  • Winnie Li,
  • Alejandro Berlin,
  • Cathy Carpino-Rocca,
  • Peter Chung,
  • Leigh Conroy,
  • Jennifer Dang,
  • Laura A. Dawson,
  • Rachel M. Glicksman,
  • Ali Hosni,
  • Harald Keller,
  • Vickie Kong,
  • Patricia Lindsay,
  • Andrea Shessel,
  • Teo Stanescu,
  • Edward Taylor,
  • Jeff Winter,
  • Michael Yan,
  • Daniel Letourneau,
  • Michael Milosevic,
  • Michael Velec

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29
p. 100240

Abstract

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Purpose: An integrated magnetic resonance scanner and linear accelerator (MR-linac) was implemented with daily online adaptive radiation therapy (ART). This study evaluated patient-reported experiences with their overall hospital care as well as treatment in the MR-linac environment. Methods: Patients pre-screened for MR eligibility and claustrophobia were referred to simulation on a 1.5 T MR-linac. Patient-reported experience measures were captured using two validated surveys. The 15-item MR-anxiety questionnaire (MR-AQ) was administered immediately after the first treatment to rate MR-related anxiety and relaxation. The 40-item satisfaction with cancer care questionnaire rating doctors, radiation therapists, the services and care organization and their outpatient experience was administered immediately after the last treatment using five-point Likert responses. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: 205 patients were included in this analysis. Multiple sites were treated across the pelvis and abdomen with a median treatment time per fraction of 46 and 66 min respectively. Patients rated MR-related anxiety as “not at all” (87%), “somewhat” (11%), “moderately” (1%) and “very much so” (1%). Positive satisfaction responses ranged from 78 to 100% (median 93%) across all items. All radiation therapist-specific items were rated positively as 96–100%. The five lowest rated items (range 78–85%) were related to general provision of information, coordination, and communication. Overall hospital care was rated positively at 99%. Conclusion: In this large, single-institution prospective cohort, all patients had low MR-related anxiety and completed treatment as planned despite lengthy ART treatments with the MR-linac. Patients overall were highly satisfied with their cancer care involving ART using an MR-linac.

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