E-Newsletter - July 2019
Message from the Group Chair


Alliance research:
Quick update on what's next

The goal of Alliance research is to bring forward new data that leads to improvements in patient care. This demands that we reach beyond late phase prospective randomized trials, because there are many important research questions that cannot be addressed by this approach. Over the years, as the field of oncology has matured, Alliance added a number of new data  sources and research approaches. Alliance research now includes not only late stage prospective randomized clinical trials, but a range of other essential study approaches, including biomarker-driven early therapeutic trials, comparative effectiveness research, cancer care delivery research, and large pooled analyses of international datasets.

At the past spring Group meeting, attendees saw outstanding examples of this research on display. Recently, Alliance also entered the arena of "real world" data. A working group convened to advise the Alliance on this issue, known as the Integrating Clinical Trials And Real World Endpoints data (ICAREdata) initiative, has now graduated to become the Alliance ICAREdata Committee. This new committee will soon begin its first NCI pilot to study in collaboration with the Alliance Neuro-Oncology Committee.

What's next? During the fall 2018 Alliance Scientific Retreat, the leadership team was charged with developing a strategy to conduct research studying the value of cancer care. The escalating cost of care and the uneven access to care across our population is of great concern to all clinicians. Unfortunately, the incredible complexity of the U.S. health care payment environment make this a very challenging area to address. In response to this important need, Alliance has convened a Value of Care Working Group. Alliance research currently produces a wealth of data addressing the risks and benefits of different treatment approaches, across a wide range of cancer types. The goal of the working group is to identify ways that Alliance can bring an understanding of the resources required for various treatment options into the equation, so that our society can make better informed care delivery decisions. The new working group includes members from the Alliance Health Outcomes Research and Cancer Care Delivery Research teams, as well as experts in health care economics.

Stay tuned for more details to come on these and other Alliance initiatives.

 

 

 

 

For other articles in this issue of the Alliance E-News newsletter, see below.