Article
Balancing What the Trial Says With Real-World Evidence in Cancer Care
With the explosion of new therapies in cancer care, the risk of each new therapy must be clearly understood in making treatment decisions. In a special issue on cardio-oncology in Evidence-Based Oncology, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care, Texas Oncology's Dr. Debra Patt discusses the challenge of translating what is known from clinical trials to real-world patients, who may be older and have more health problems.
Balancing What the Trial Says With Real-World Evidence in Cancer CareFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 15, 2015
PLAINSBORO, N.J.—How patients respond to cancer therapy in a clinical trial and how they respond in the real world are not always the same, and the same is true with the cardiotoxic effects of the drugs themselves, a leading oncologist writes in the current issue of Evidence-Based Oncology.
Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA, a practicing oncologist with Texas Oncology and a research leader in Healthcare Informatics for McKesson Specialty Health, discusses how to make today’s clinical pathways in cancer care work for patients in real-world settings in “Influence of Cardiotoxic Risk on Treatment Choice in Adult Cancers,” part of the special issue on cardio-oncology in EBO, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care.
More research is needed on the cardiotoxic effects of today’s new therapies on special populations, including the very old and those with significant comorbidities, who are typically not included in clinical trials, Dr. Patt writes. Until such real-world evidence accumulates, she advises, “oncologists need to make careful decisions about whether certain guideline-based treatments are appropriate for their patients,” who fall into these categories.
Weighing whether to use a therapy may depend on whether a cancer is curable or not, Dr. Patt notes, discussing several scenarios in breast cancer.
To read the full issue of EBO on cardio-oncology, click here.
About the Journal
The American Journal of Managed Care, now in its 20th year of publication, is the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. Other titles are The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits, which provides pharmacy and formulary decision makers with information to improve the efficiency and health outcomes in managing pharmaceutical care. In December 2013, AJMC introduced The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary devoted to understanding changes to the healthcare system due to the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s news publications, the Evidence-Based series, bring together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in oncology and diabetes management. To order reprints of articles appearing in AJMC publications, please call (609) 716-7777, x 131.
CONTACT: Nicole Beagin (609) 716-7777 x 131
