Submitted by: Submitted by jdesouza
Views: 10
Words: 1781
Pages: 8
Category: Science and Technology
Date Submitted: 05/22/2016 12:37 PM
1049
Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The Last Word
The Future of Cancer Care: Are We Ready For
Personalized Value?
Jonas A. de Souza, MD; Colleen Kelly, BA; and Chadi Nabhan, MD
Tremendous advances have been achieved in the understanding of cancer biology, with
cancer researchers extolling the potential of precision medicine in tailoring treatment
to specific tumor markers. However, instead of feeling empowered, patients often have
difficulty comparing and selecting among various treatment options.1 Compounding
this perplexity is the rising cost of cancer therapies coupled with continued concerns
about side effects and their impact on quality of life (QOL). Although incremental
improvements in overall survival remain the most important consideration when
selecting a particular treatment, additional critical considerations are needed for
proper therapeutic choosing. This delicate balance has recently been translated into
so-called “value” in cancer care. Although frameworks to better understand and
practice “value in cancer care” have been developed,2 these tools have not actively
involved patients. To create an effective model of value in oncology care, the views
and needs of all stakeholders must be aligned with those of the patients. To that end,
we propose a patient-centered value framework as a mechanism of optimizing cancer
care moving forward (Figure 1).
Jonas A. de Souza, MD
Jonas A. de Souza, MD, is Assistant
Professor of Medicine in the
Department of Medicine, Section
of Hematology and Oncology, The
University of Chicago Medicine,
Chicago, Illinois.
The Personalized Value Model
Porter3 proposed aligning stakeholders’ incentives with the concept of value for the patient
as an approach for improving the health care system as a whole. In that context, value
was defined as “health outcomes achieved per dollar spent.” These outcomes incorporated
measures of survival and QOL. Also, they consisted of a more complex set of functional...