PRO-CTCAE and the Patient Voice in Oncology Safety

Introduction: Safety Is Experienced, Not Just Observed

Clinician-graded CTCAE captures observable and inferred toxicity, but it does not fully reflect how treatment feels to patients. PRO-CTCAE adds a complementary perspective that is increasingly essential.

What PRO-CTCAE Contributes

Patients often report symptoms earlier, with greater sensitivity to functional impact. These reports can reveal worsening trends even when clinician grades remain stable.

PRO-CTCAE does not replace CTCAE; it enriches it.

Aligning Patient and Clinician Perspectives

Differences between patient-reported and clinician-graded severity are informative. Concordance reassures. Discordance prompts reassessment. Automation can help visualize these relationships over time.

Operational Challenges

PRO-CTCAE generates high-frequency data that can overwhelm teams if not triaged effectively. Without integration, valuable signals are lost in noise.

Toward a Unified Safety View

When PRO-CTCAE is aligned with clinician CTCAE grading, safety monitoring becomes more proactive and patient-centered. Technology should elevate the patient voice, not bury it, while keeping clinicians firmly in control of decisions.