Usually, these patients are not eligible for clinical trials.
But new research shows that some of these individuals could still benefit from inclusion in trials.
A report published in theJournal of Clinical Oncologylast month studied nearly 7,000 cancer patients with brain metastases.
Sebastian Condrea / Getty Images
What Is the GPA?
Patients and clinicians can access it free of charge.
The factors include:
How Does the GPA Differ From Earlier Tools?
That tool was too subjective, Sperduto tells Verywell.
It asked the clinician to determine if the primary tumor and systemic disease were under control.
Based on that, I wanted to create a more objective prognostic index.
Weve discovered that the primary tumor did drive the prognosis of these patients.
Researchers plan to refine the GPA as more data become available.
We will have to update it as practice changes, Sperduto says.
The next thing we add will be immunotherapy receptor site status.
This information helps them navigate their options.
Still, the study authors acknowledge that not everyone wants to know their prognosis.
It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The GPA helped show that some patients with brain metastases are projected to have more time.
And their participation in clinical trials matters.
The GPA also helps cancer patients find research trials for which they may be eligible.
September 15, 2020. doi:10.1200/JCO.20.01255
