The rapidly evolving landscape of cancer treatment data is creating unprecedented challenges for oncologists, according to leading healthcare executives at the Patient Centered-Oncology Care meeting. The volume and complexity of new clinical information are becoming "insurmountable" for practicing physicians to manage effectively.
Dr. Davey B. Daniel, Chief Medical Officer of OneOncology, described experiencing a "panicky feeling" at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting while considering how recent data might affect current patient treatments. This sentiment reflects a growing concern about physicians' ability to integrate new findings into clinical practice within limited consultation times.
"If you can't get the data into the hands of people making a decision at the point of care, then you're not doing the job," emphasized Dr. Stephen "Fred" Divers, CMO of American Oncology Network. He noted that physicians typically have only 15-20 minutes with each patient to make critical treatment decisions.
Precision Medicine and Data Integration Challenges
The expansion of precision medicine has increased the complexity of cancer treatment decision-making. Clinicians must now interpret various molecular markers and their implications across different cancer types. For instance, the interpretation of HER2 status has become increasingly nuanced, with classifications ranging from amplified to low and ultralow expression levels, each potentially requiring different therapeutic approaches.
Real-World Evidence and AI Applications
Real-world evidence is emerging as a crucial tool for advancing clinical knowledge beyond traditional trials. Dr. Divers expressed optimism about the potential for continuous data curation and updates to inform treatment decisions. This approach could help address scenarios where formal clinical trials are not feasible or practical.
Critical Infrastructure Needs
Despite a decade of health information exchanges, interoperability remains a significant challenge. Healthcare leaders emphasized the need for better connectivity between precision testing systems to track patient journeys effectively. This infrastructure gap affects both inter- and intra-organizational knowledge sharing.
Decision Support and Clinical Implementation
The healthcare executives highlighted the critical role of clinical decision support systems in helping physicians make optimal choices. Strategic partnerships for data access, curation, and operationalization are becoming increasingly important as the volume of clinical information continues to grow.
The challenge of determining actionable data points remains significant. Healthcare leaders cited examples such as the use of polatuzumab in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, where progression-free survival data was available before overall survival data, creating uncertainty about implementation timing. Similar challenges exist in interpreting minimal residual disease (MRD) results, where optimal intervention timing remains unclear.
