David Sher, MD, MPH
Demonstrating the Value of RT
David Sher, MD, MPH, and his team at the UT Southwestern Medical Center conducted an analysis to understand the outcomes and costs of radiation therapy compared to other treatments for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). Patients and providers benefit from such studies on the comparative value of different treatment options because they have the potential to generate the evidence needed to improve cancer outcomes and slow the growth of cancer care costs.
In this ROI-funded grant, Dr. Sher:
- Compared survival, toxicity and accrued costs of surgery versus radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for patients with OPC using data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database and the HealthCore Integrated Research Database (HIRD).
- Analyzed the data for early-stage and locally advanced OPC separately.
- Provided important information on the comparative effectiveness and relative costs of these competing modalities.
Publications and Presentations
The results of this ROI research award have been presented or published in the following places:
- Comparative Effectiveness of Primary Radiotherapy Versus Surgery in Elderly Patients with Locally Advanced Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma was published in the January 2019 issue of Oral Oncology.
- Commercial Claims–Based Comparison of Survival and Toxic Effects of Definitive Radiotherapy vs Primary Surgery in Patients With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma was published in the October 2018 issue of JAMA Otolaryngology.
- Comparative Effectiveness of Primary Radiotherapy Versus Surgery in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Private Payer: A HealthCore Analysis was presented at the 2017 ASTRO Annual Meeting.
- Comparative Effectiveness of Primary Radiotherapy Versus Surgery in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Elderly Patients: A SEER-Medicare Analysis was published in conjunction with the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.
