Cancer treatment—immunotherapy agent name, systemic therapy agent or protocol name, text X[X(149)]

Identifying and definitional attributes

• Health, Recorded 17/05/2011

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Immunotherapy is cancer therapy that achieves its antitumor effect by altering the immune system or changing the host’s response to the tumor cells.

Each immunotherapy agent used during the initial treatment of the cancer should be recorded. The initial course of treatment includes all treatments administered to the patient from diagnosis and before disease progression or recurrence.

Systemic therapy often involves treatment with a combination of agents. These may be known by acronyms but since details of drugs and acronyms may vary it is recommended that each agent be recorded.

The name of each immunotherapy agent or protocol given as initial treatment is recorded regardless of whether the course of treatment is completed as intended, and regardless of the intent or timing of the immunotherapy. 

When recording immunotherapy/systemic therapy protocols, eviQ should be used wherever possible. If a single agent is being used or a protocol is not included in eviQ, then the full, generic name of any agent should be recorded preferably using the Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT), or if necessary, the Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) or MIMS. If a generic name is not available because the drug is experimental or under patent protection, record the brand name.

The eviQ protocol identifier number, where available, is recorded separately in the data element "Cancer treatment—systemic therapy agent protocol, eviQ protocol identifier, NNNNNN".

Oral immunotherapy normally given on an outpatient basis should also be included.

The name(s) of other systemic treatment agents such as chemotherapy are collected as separate data items. However, if a patient receives treatment with a protocol that includes different types of systemic therapy agents, for example, a chemotherapy agent and an immunotherapy agent, record the protocol or agent names in both relevant data items.

This information should be collected from the patient’s medical record.

Source and reference attributes

National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program.

Standard Cancer Treatment and Management Pathways Program, Cancer Services and Education Division. eviQ Cancer Treatments Online. Cancer Institute NSW.

The National Clinical Terminology and Information Service (NCTIS) 2011. Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT). Sydney: National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA). AMT releases are provided every month and are available from the NCTIS Secure Website.

Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH). Australian Medicines Handbook Pty Ltd.

MIMS Medicines Information. St Leonards, New South Wales: UBM Medica Pty Ltd.

American College of Surgeons 2002. Facility Oncology Registry Data Standards (FORDS), 2009 revision, Commission on Cancer.

Relational attributes