PhD Student LeBlanc and Smith Submit NIH NRSA F31 Application

Kudos to Matthew LeBlanc and his faculty sponsor Sophia Smith for the submission of his NIH NRSA (F31) application entitled "Symptom Burden and Quality of Life in Multiple Myeloma Patients." This proposal requests funds for a three-year period with a start date of April 1, 2019.

Background: Despite dramatic increases in survival over the last decade, research shows that symptom burden, functional status, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes for individuals diagnosed with multiple myeloma (i.e., myeloma) are near the worst among all cancer patients. With improved treatments, median survival is now greater than 10 years for some subsets of myeloma patients. There is a limited understanding of how longer-term survival coupled with continued disease and treatment side effects affect myeloma patients. The purpose of this project is to address critical gaps in knowledge by describing symptom prevalence, severity, and clusters, functional status, and overall QoL among a cohort of myeloma patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional survey study, 400 myeloma patients would be recruited from the Duke Cancer Institute’s Tumor Registry. Patients diagnosed with myeloma from the year 2000 to the present will be mailed surveys to collect data on personal and disease characteristics, symptom burden, functional status, and QoL. The first study aim is to establish a cohort of myeloma patients. Processes for recruitment and data collection will be established, laying the ground work for future longitudinal follow up. The second aim is to characterize symptom burden, functional status, and QoL in this patient cohort. This will involve summarizing outcomes and identifying symptom clusters, thus providing unique insight into the experiences of myeloma patients. The third aim is to identify personal and disease characteristics associated with symptom burden, functional status, and QoL. Understanding these associations will help us to identify patients who may be at risk for poor outcomes. LeBlanc and his Sponsors have identified four training plan goals that will facilitate the successful completion of the proposed work and prepare him for a career as a nurse scientist. These goals are to: 1) advance knowledge of symptom science theory, research design, and analysis; 2) acquire skills and knowledge related to the use of patient-reported outcomes measures in research and clinical settings; 3) build skills and knowledge to successfully conduct cohort studies; and, 4) expand knowledge of the myeloma patient population. His training plan takes advantage of resources available at Duke University, such as the Social Sciences Research Institute, the Duke Cancer Institute, and the Department of Population Health Sciences. Additionally, LeBlanc has assembled a team of health scientists who have the expertise to meet his training goals through one on one mentoring and independent studies.

This fellowship would allow LeBlanc to pursue training in symptom science and patient-reported outcomes, while assembling one of the first cohorts of myeloma patients based in the United States. Once established, this cohort presents opportunities for further exploration and longitudinal follow-up to help launch LeBlanc’s career as an independent nurse scientist.