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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Family Medicine and Primary Care
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1469930
Detection of potential complications in cancer survivors after chemotherapy and development of a regional care network: the PASCA feasibility study
Provisionally accepted
Romain Buono 1*
Olivia Pérol 1,2 Meyssane Djebali 1 Mélodie Borja 1 Alicia Abadie 1 Stéphane Morisset 3 Anne-Sophie Michallet 3 Aude Fléchon 3 Helen Boyle 3 Emmanuelle Nicolas- Virelizier 3 Philippe Rey 3 Yann Guillermin 3 Souad Assaad 3 Amine Belhabri 3 Laure Lebras 3
Jean Yves Blay 3
Beatrice Fervers 1,2 Mauricette Michallet 1,3- 1 Department of Prevention, Cancer and Environment, Leon Berard Cancer Center, Lyon, France
- 2 INSERM U1296, Leon Berard Cancer Center, Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
- 3 Département d'oncologie médicale, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Complications are often poorly identified and managed in cancer survivors after treatment and restoring their initial quality of life remains a challenge, particularly in a context of unequal access to care nationwide. The PASCA 'Parcours de Santé au cours du Cancer' [in English: healthcare pathways with cancer]" feasibility study was conducted in the Léon Bérard Comprehensive Cancer Center (Lyon, France) to assess the feasibility of a complications detection program, in cancer survivors who have received intensive chemotherapy. An initial network of physicians and healthcare professionals was also set up to facilitate medical referrals after detection. The study had a high recruitment rate (83.8%) and an adherence rate of 43%. In our analysis population (n=98), 8% presented de novo dermatological, cardiological and pneumological complications. Of these, 42 completed all program visits. Among them, the number of patients who developed a ≥ grade 2 complication increased between the first and last visits in: nephrology (+13.9%), overweight/obesity (+12.5%), endocrinology (+8.3%) and cardiology (+5.6%). Patient satisfaction was high (68%). The results supported the feasibility of a complication detection program and highlighted the presence of de novo complications at the first visit, as well as an increase in the number of patients developing complication in four areas between the first and last visit. In the future, after-treatment programs could be improved by increasing the motivation of the referring oncologists and patients, improving communication and by adapting the follow-up visits to take into consideration the constraints and profiles of the cancer survivors.
Keywords: feasibility study1, cancer survivors2, complication detection3, testicular germ cell tumours4, hematological malignancy5
Received: 26 Jul 2024; Accepted: 14 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Buono, Pérol, Djebali, Borja, Abadie, Morisset, Michallet, Fléchon, Boyle, Nicolas- Virelizier, Rey, Guillermin, Assaad, Belhabri, Lebras, Blay, Fervers and Michallet. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Romain Buono, Department of Prevention, Cancer and Environment, Leon Berard Cancer Center, Lyon, France
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