Jaguar Health reports publication on quality of life for breast cancer patients

Napo Pharmaceuticals announced that the abstract for “More Than a Diagnosis: A Quality of Life Survey for Individuals with a Diagnosis or History of Cancer,” an online, anonymous Napo-supported survey initiative of Advocates for Collaborative Education to shed light on the diverse and profound challenges faced by individuals living with a diagnosis or a history of cancer, is now available on the website for the December 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Across a wide range of demographic subsets, including age, race, stage of cancer, and treatment modalities, 334 survey respondents with a history of breast cancer reported a decline in QoL scores precancer versus post-cancer. Physical and emotional well-being emerged as top priorities for most respondents, 47.9% and 27.5% respectively. Of 17 listed side effects, respondents cited fatigue, muscle/joint pain, and emotional distress as primary concerns, with sexual dysfunction and cognitive impairment ranking prominently. Forty-six percent reported severe to very severe emotional distress, but only 55% of those felt informed or well informed about the possibility of emotional distress. Among respondents, only 41% received a plan to address emotional distress. Many respondents felt unprepared for physical side effects. While 54% of individuals experienced diarrhea or fecal incontinence as a treatment side effect, 22% of affected individuals did not feel informed about the possibility of such side effects. Survey findings also highlight the consequences of treatments to manage side effects. Thirty-seven percent of respondents were prescribed treatment to address diarrhea and 100% of these patients reported additional side effects stemming from this supportive care, including nausea, constipation, and fatigue. Jaguar’s poster outlining the design of the company’s pivotal Phase 3 OnTarget trial for cancer therapy-related diarrhea and the neglected medical need of CTD will also be presented at SABCS on December 7th. The trial is evaluating the company’s plant-based prescription drug crofelemer for prophylaxis of diarrhea in adult cancer patients with solid tumors receiving targeted therapy, with or without standard chemotherapy. The top line results of the study are forthcoming.