Background <p>Guidelines recommend the routine use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in supportive care. The German Cancer Society (Deutsche Krebs Gesellschaft, DKG) certification system also contains recommendations on PROs in various places.</p> Objective <p>This article aims to clarify terms and present the chances and limitations of using PROs in supportive care, with special consideration of screening-based concepts. It also addresses their further development based on discussions around basic screening of cancer patients.</p> Materials and methods <p>The work is based on a thematic literature review, an analysis of successful implementation projects, and the author’s experience.</p> Results <p>Supportive care focuses on cancer patients in all phases of their disease. It is implemented by the primary care team and supplemented by other specialists and professional groups. Evidence for the use of PROs has been generated in many studies on treatment monitoring and in studies on symptom and problem screening. In the context of treatment monitoring, digitally supported recording (ePROs), including a&#xa0;system of feedback to the treating physicians, is now considered the gold standard. Agreed intervention algorithms and information material complement these concepts. Respondents’ access to the PROs collected in conjunction with symptom-related self-management strategies contributes significantly to patient centeredness. Adequate resources for screening, assessment, and intervention must be provided. In screening-based supportive care using PROs, extension to treatment monitoring should also be considered.</p> Conclusion <p>A&#xa0;joint strategy, such as that aimed for in basic screening of cancer patients, could promote the patient centeredness of supportive care and the networking of coexisting approaches.</p>