National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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NCCN Oncology Comparative Effectiveness Paradigm

The issue of Comparative Effectiveness (CE) has been one of the more visible issues discussed during the 2009 health care reform debate. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated $1.1 billion in research funding for this area. Comparative effectiveness and related processes may become influential in determinations regarding the access to and availability of the drugs, biologics, devices, procedures, and other interventions used in the treatment of patients with cancer.

NCCN is engaged in the national debate and is influencing appropriate directions for CE that will benefit patients with cancer. Through evaluation of the possible integration of a CE process into the NCCN Guidelines development process, NCCN can play an important role in how comparative effectiveness affects patients with cancer and the care they receive. NCCN has established a working group, the NCCN Oncology Comparative Effectiveness (OCE) Work Group, to discuss the role of NCCN and to develop and evaluate a paradigm entitled the "NCCN Comparative Therapeutic Index™" as an oncology-appropriate approach to comparative effectiveness.

The NCCN OCE Work Group has written a draft white paper entitled, "The 'NCCN Comparative Therapeutic Index™' as a Paradigm for Near Term Comparative Effectiveness Analyses of Existing Data in Oncology". Comments will be accepted until November 23, 2009.

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