Special issues that arise in applying techniques of economic analysis to evaluation of cancer therapies

Abstract

The papers presented at this conference and reprinted in this monograph provide an opportunity to begin the process of establishing a shared language, set of goals, and "methods tool chest" for clinical researchers and economists to use in approaching the integration of economic analysis into cancer clinical trials. The first step in this process should be to recognize that there are several special issues that arise in applying the techniques of economic analysis to the evaluation of cancer therapies. These issues include the following: 1) The clinical course of cancer is complex, 2) clinical research and clinical trials are in the mainstream of cancer care, 3) cancer therapy is multidisciplinary, and 4) "best supportive care" is a rarely studied alternative.