Newswise — Fairfax, Va., November 24, 2014 – The Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI) is requesting research proposals to examine the comparative value of radiation therapy and will provide support for the selected research project in the amount of $200,000 total for up to two years. A Letter of Intent is due to ROI by Friday, January 23, 2015, with the full project proposal due by Friday, April 24, 2015; project must be completed no later than July 2017. Detailed information about the Request for Proposal (RFP) and the grant application process is available at
www.roinstitute.org and
https://proposalcentral.altum.com/. ROI seeks proposals that address the highest-impact research questions for the radiation oncology field to demonstrate the value of technologies and interventions assessing both comparative value and cost-effectiveness value. Of particular interest is research that will utilize the most up-to-date registry or database sets including CMS datasets, Medicare or commercial claims and payment datasets, state datasets or other existing datasets, with a focus on one or several of the prevalent cancers. Several broad topic area examples are: 1) Examine the factors that affect access to or the outcomes and costs of loco-regional control and functional preservation; 2) Analysis of lost productivity in the workplace for patients and their caregivers due to the impact of their care, with particular note of alternative approaches (radiotherapy versus surgical, systemic or other approaches) using retrospective administrative datasets; 3) Evaluate the comparative and/or cost-effectiveness of definitive radiation therapy modalities compared to surgical or other definitive approaches, particularly comparing radiotherapy to non-radiotherapy treatments (e.g. stereotactic body radiotherapy versus surgery); and 4) Evaluate the comparative and/or cost-effectiveness or comparative productivity gains associated with adjuvant radiotherapy compared to other adjuvant approaches (chemotherapy or biologics); of particular interest are comparisons of the value of adjuvant radiotherapy in disease sites (e.g. prevalent cancers such as breast lung, prostate and gastrointestinal cancers) where Level I evidence supports its use to the value of adjuvant systemic therapies. Special consideration will be given to proposals that will examine 1) how patient, provider, facility, hospital and healthcare system structural factors impact the access, use, quality, outcomes or costs of radiation therapy as compared to non-radiotherapy interventions; 2) how the structure and capacity of cancer delivery impact access, use, quality, outcomes and costs of radiation therapy as compared to non-radiotherapy interventions; and 3) how insurance plan benefit designs, accountable care organizations (ACOs), medical homes and other insurance structures impact access, use, quality, outcomes and costs of radiation therapy as compared to non-radiotherapy interventions. “As technologies and treatments emerge, we must continue to evaluate and confirm treatment efficacy as well as the value of the life-saving care that we provide,” said ROI President Theodore S. Lawrence, MD, PhD, FASTRO. “ROI is eager to fund a new research project focused on the comparative value of radiation therapy that will ultimately improve patient care.”
Together, the ROI, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) seek evidence to demonstrate value of technologies and interventions in radiation oncology. All ROI research initiatives stem from the prioritized National Research Agenda, which was developed during the ROI’s formative years to identify areas of need and the importance of research to demonstrate the significant medical expertise and value that radiation oncology brings to cancer care throughout the world.
ABOUT ROIThe Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI) is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) foundation created in 2006 by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Board of Directors to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. ROI strategically funds research on new and existing radiation therapy treatments to identify links between best practices and improved outcomes, to evaluate the efficacy and cost-benefit of radiation therapy and to foster multi-institutional research in radiation oncology. For more information, visit www.roinstitute.org. ###
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