Introduction Survival outcomes for early-stage breast cancer have improved substantially; however, many survivors experience persistent treatment-related toxicities that adversely affect long-term quality of life (QoL) and functional recovery. Prospective survivorship data from China remain limited.
The PERSEVERE study aims to characterise longitudinal trajectories of QoL and treatment-related toxicities among Chinese women treated for stage I - III breast cancer and to identify factors associated with suboptimal recovery. Methods and analysis PERSEVERE is a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study enrolling approximately 3000 women with newly diagnosed stage I - III invasive breast cancer across cancer centres in China.
Data are collected at baseline and serially for up to 5 years, including clinical variables, a validated suite of patient-reported outcome measures collected via a centralised REDCap electronic platform and baseline biospecimens. The primary outcome is the change in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 global health status/QoL score from baseline to 12 months.
Longitudinal and time-to-event analytical approaches appropriate for observational cohort studies will be applied, with exploratory analyses planned to investigate symptom trajectories and biological correlates.