Advancing rapid cycle research in cancer care delivery: a National Cancer Institute workshop report

Abstract

Generating actionable research findings quickly and efficiently is critical for improving the delivery of cancer-related care and outcomes. To address this issue, the National Cancer Institute convened subject matter experts, researchers, clinicians, and patients for a 2-day virtual meeting in February 2022. The purpose of this meeting was to identify how rapid cycle interventional research methods can be used to generate findings useful in improving routine clinical practice. The meeting yielded an initial conceptualization of rapid cycle interventional research as being comprised of 6 key elements: use of iterative study designs; reliance on proximal primary outcomes; early and continued engagement with community and clinical partners; use of existing data sources to measure primary outcomes; facilitative features of the study setting and context; and consideration of appropriate rigor relative to intended use of findings. The meeting also identified the types of study designs that can be leveraged to conduct rapid cycle interventional research and provided examples of these; considered this approach from the perspective of key partners; described the clinical and data infrastructure, research resources, and key collaborations needed to support this work; identified research topics best addressed using this approach; and considered needed methodological advances. The National Cancer Institute is committed to exploring opportunities to encourage further development and application of this research approach as a means for better promoting improvements in the delivery of cancer-related care.

Figure 1.

The 6 key characteristics of rapid cycle interventional research. The characteristics are 1) use of iterative study design features; 2) focus on proximal primary outcomes; 3) emphasis on partner engagement; 4) consideration of data sources; 5) consideration of the context in which the study will be conducted; and 6) consideration of appropriate rigor. Health equity is a cross-cutting theme that should be incorporated into all 6 characteristics.