Structured Approach to Prioritizing Cancer Research Using Stakeholders and Value of Information [Methods Study], United States, 2008-2018 (ICPSR 39518)
Version Date: Oct 23, 2025 View help for published
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Scott D. Ramsey, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39518.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
Organizations that fund cancer research need to decide which studies to fund. Value of information (VOI) is a way to help rank research studies. VOI estimates the value of research by looking at the impacts on health and on healthcare that could result from the research.
SWOG (formerly the Southwest Oncology Group) is a network of cancer researchers funded by the National Cancer Institute. SWOG leaders review and score new study proposals based on the scientific value of the studies and their potential impact. Based on a study's score, SWOG's leadership committee decides whether to send the study to the National Cancer Institute for funding review.
In this study, the research team wanted to learn if giving VOI data to the committee affected its scoring of proposals. The team also wanted to see if providing VOI data was helpful in deciding which studies to fund. The study had two parts. The research team created a process to quickly estimate VOI. Then, the team tested the process on nine study proposals that the SWOG committee reviewed.
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Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
(1) To develop a rapid process for calculating value-of-information (VOI) estimates of clinical and economic returns for research investments; (2) To evaluate the effect of providing VOI estimates to reviewers of cancer research proposals.
Study Design View help for Study Design
VOI analysis is a health-economics technique that estimates clinical and economic returns for research investments. These estimates can supplement other information in prioritizing research. However, the time it takes to calculate VOI limits its widespread use within proposal-review processes operating under tight deadlines.
The research team worked with researchers and the executive committee at SWOG, a cooperative group in the National Cancer Institute's National Clinical Trials Network (formerly the Southwest Oncology Group). The research team developed a minimal modeling process for rapidly calculating VOI estimates using a random retrospective sample of nine phase 2 and phase 3 randomized trial proposals that the SWOG executive committee reviewed between 2008 and 2013.
The research team then applied the process to calculate VOI estimates for each of nine additional SWOG proposals for use during a review. The VOI calculations included both per-patient and population-level incremental expected costs and quality-adjusted life years projected to result from the research investments. The team provided both clinical VOI, which estimates only expected clinical impact, and classic VOI, which estimates both clinical and economic impacts.
The research team then evaluated the effect of providing the VOI estimates on committee members' proposal reviews. Committee members scored each proposal on scientific merit and potential impact before and after viewing the VOI estimates. Committee members also completed surveys before and after the study to assess their decision-making process and attitudes about the use of VOI estimates.
Data Source View help for Data Source
The VOI analysis included proposals from the Breast, Genitourinary, and Gastrointestinal Committees, 3 of the largest and most active committees within SWOG. We obtained all (n = 34) randomized phase 2 or phase 3 trial proposals from these disease committees that were reviewed by SWOG's EC between 2008 and 2013.
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