Symptom Management and Health-Related Quality of Life Steering Committee

The Symptom Management and Health-Related Quality of Life Steering Committee (SxQoLSC) was established in April 2006. At monthly meetings, the SxQoLSC addresses the design, prioritization and evaluation of concepts for clinical trials to control cancer symptoms and cancer treatment side effects.

The core committee membership includes representatives from the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases, R01 investigators, community oncologists, biostatisticians, patient advocates and NCI Staff. View the SxQoLSC member roster.

Committee Activities

• Evaluates and prioritizes symptom management intervention clinical trial concepts, including those with primary quality-of-life (QoL) endpoints, to be conducted through the NCORP mechanism
• Evaluates studies with co-primary QoL endpoints in NCTN Group treatment studies
• Develops criteria for concepts that are eligible for proposed Biomarker, Imaging, and Quality of Life Studies Funding Program (BIQSFP) funds
• Convenes clinical trial planning meetings (CTPMs) to identify critical questions and prioritize key strategies related to side effects of cancer, cancer treatment and patients’ quality of life
• Reviews and updates strategic priorities for a given research area and reviews accrual to ongoing trials approximately yearly
• Assesses the strength of the clinical trial portfolio and its alignment with the strategic priorities every four to five years

View the SxQoLSC Strategic Priorities, formulated with the goal that the majority of submitted concepts would align with the established priorities.

A concept for a clinical trial contains scientific background, preliminary data, a hypothesis, and a plan for study implementation including statistical design. In December 2013, the SxQoLSC held a webinar on the required elements and statistical considerations for successful symptom management concepts.

Clinical Trials Planning Meetings (CTPMs)

CTPMs are held periodically and focus on specific clinical trial related topics. The following are important SxQoLSC CTPMs:

• Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment
  The cognitive effects from both the cancer and its treatment are frustrating for patients and can interfere with many aspects of overall quality of life including daily functioning, the ability to perform at work, achieve education goals, and interact socially. Sessions of this March 2021 CTPM reviewed the state of the science and current trials to develop recommendations for one or more clinical trial(s) that would represent the needed next step in cancer-related cognitive impairment research. Read the executive summary from the meeting.
• Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Developing Novel Trials Informed by Translational Science. This CTPM was convened in March 2017 to develop recommendations for one or more clinical trial(s) in chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) with emphasis on utilizing informative biomarkers that will advance knowledge of its underlying mechanisms. Read the executive summary, and the JNCI publication from the meeting.
  • A previous CTPM in CIPN was held in March 2009 and was convened to assess the critical need to develop appropriate interventions or prevention strategies for CIPN. Read the executive summary and view a power point presentation
• Building Bridges: The Identification of Core Symptoms and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Domains for use in Cancer Research
  This CTPM was convened in September 2011 to address the need for a universally recognized standard set of patient reported outcome (PRO) domains to routinely be collected in clinical trials. Read more about this meeting:
  • Executive Summary
  • Recommended Patient-Reported Core Set of Symptoms to Measure in Adult Cancer Treatment Trials - (2014)
  • Recommended Patient-Reported Core Set of Symptoms and Quality-of-Life Domains to Measure in Ovarian Cancer Treatment Trials - (2014)
  • Recommended Patient-Reported Core Set of Symptoms to Measure in Head and Neck Cancer Treatment Trials - (2014)
  • Recommended Patient-Reported Core Set of Symptoms to Measure in Prostate Cancer Treatment Trials - (2014)
  • Core Symptoms Measures in Cancer Clinical Trials - (2014)
• Cancer-Related Fatigue
  Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common, distressing symptom related to cancer and its treatment. CRF adversely affects quality of life and is emerging as a dose limiting toxicity associated with the newer targeted agents, limiting the study of potentially effective new combination therapies. Sessions of this April 2010 CTPM addressed the epidemiology, measurement, and biology of CRF; interventions for managing it; and methods for studying it. Read the executive summary and 2013 publication Recommendations for High-Priority Research on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Children and Adults.

Contact

For more information, contact NCI CCCT Program Director (Interim), Jane Hettinger, Ph.D., at jane.hettinger@nih.gov.