[Efficacy of Cancer Treatment with Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Monitoring and Future Expectations].

The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events has been used to evaluate adverse events in oncology. However, it has been shown that medical practitioners who assess adverse events tend to underestimate symptoms more than the patients themselves who experience them, and monitoring of patient-reported outcomes(PROs)is considered essential to achieve patient-centered care. PRO is defined as"any report of a patient's health status obtained directly from the patient, without interpretation by a clinician or anyone else". PROs have been routinely collected in clinical practice using paper and pencil, but they can also be collected more easily and efficiently in the form of electronic PROs(ePROs)using tablets and smartphones. The ePRO system enables remote symptom monitoring and intervention, when necessary, as PROs entered by the patient are shared with the health care provider even when not in person, which not only improves the patient's quality of life but also has been reported to increase overall survival. In Japan, ePROs that can be used in routine medical care are already available, but they have not yet been widely adopted. This article outlines the necessity and usefulness of ePRO monitoring in the treatment of cancer patients, problems and solutions for its introduction and dissemination, and prospects in daily clinical practice.