What is the published evidence for patient symptom self-reporting in oncology?

Randomized trials link regular electronic symptom self-reporting during cancer treatment with better outcomes. In a trial of 766 patients receiving chemotherapy for metastatic cancer, those who reported symptoms electronically between visits went to the emergency room less often (34% versus 41%), stayed on chemotherapy longer (mean 8.2 versus 6.3 months) and were more often alive at one year (75% versus 69%) than those on usual care (Basch et al., J Clin Oncol 2016). In lung cancer, weekly web-based symptom reporting after treatment was followed by a median overall survival of 22.5 months, against 14.9 months with routine scheduled imaging (Denis et al., JAMA 2019). Both studies tested symptom monitoring with alerts to the clinical team. Healthnotes brings structured participant reporting into clinical trials, where each report becomes cited evidence an investigator reviews.