Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 May;7(3 Suppl):52s-9s.
doi: 10.1200/JOP.2011.000318.

Pathways, outcomes, and costs in colon cancer: retrospective evaluations in two distinct databases

J Russell Hoverman  1 , Thomas H Cartwright, Debra A Patt, Janet L Espirito, Matthew P Clayton, Jody S Garey, Terrance J Kopp, Michael Kolodziej, Marcus A Neubauer, Kathryn Fitch, Bruce Pyenson, Roy A Beveridge
Affiliations

Pathways, outcomes, and costs in colon cancer: retrospective evaluations in two distinct databases

J Russell Hoverman et al. J Oncol Pract. 2011 May.

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of this study was to use two separate databases to evaluate the clinical outcomes and the economic impact of adherence to Level I Pathways, an evidence-based oncology treatment program in the treatment of colon cancer.

Patients and methods: The first study used clinical records from an electronic health record (EHR) database to evaluate survival according to pathway status in patients with colon cancer. Disease-free survival in patients receiving adjuvant treatment and overall survival in patients receiving first-line therapy for metastatic disease was calculated. The second study used claims data from a national administrative claims database to examine direct medical costs and use, including the cost of chemotherapy and of chemotherapy-related hospitalizations according to pathway status.

Results: Overall costs from the national claims database-including total cost per case and chemotherapy costs-were lower for patients treated according to Level I Pathways (on-Pathway) compared with patients not treated according to Level I Pathways. Use of pathways was also associated with a shorter duration of therapy and lower rate of chemotherapy-related hospital admissions. Survival for patients on-Pathway in the EHR database was comparable with those in the published literature.

Conclusion: Results from two distinct databases suggest that treatment of patients with colon cancer on-Pathway costs less; use of these pathways demonstrates clinical outcomes consistent with published evidence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Disease-free survival according to pathway status for patients with stage III disease who were initiating an adjuvant line of therapy.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Overall survival according to pathway status for patients with metastatic disease who were initiating first-line therapy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jemal A, Siegel R, Xu J, et al. Cancer statistics, 2010. CA Cancer J Clin. 2010;60:277–300. - PubMed
    1. Kopetz S, Chang GJ, Overman MJ, et al. Improved survival in metastatic colorectal cancer is associated with adoption of hepatic resection and improved chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27:3677–3683. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Meropol NJ, Schulman KA. Cost of cancer care: Issues and implications. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:180–186. - PubMed
    1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: colon cancer. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp. - PubMed
    1. Labianca R, Nordlinger B, Beretta GD, et al. Primary colon cancer: ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, adjuvant treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2010;21(suppl 5):v70–v77. - PubMed