Ontada, a McKesson business specializing in community oncology real-world data and clinical technologies, will showcase more than 14 research abstracts at The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 2025 Annual Meeting, taking place May 13-16, 2025 in Montreal, Canada. The comprehensive research portfolio demonstrates the company's commitment to generating real-world evidence that evaluates the value, safety, and efficacy of cancer therapies in community practice settings.
"Our extensive research portfolio underscores our commitment to driving meaningful advancements in patient care in oncology," said Amy O'Sullivan, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer at Ontada. "Our significant presence at ISPOR 2025 demonstrates the role we can play in powering important real world evidence generation evaluating the value, safety, and efficacy of cancer therapies in the real world."
Biomarker Testing and Treatment Pattern Studies
Several studies will examine evolving trends in cancer biomarker testing and treatment patterns across different tumor types. One comprehensive retrospective analysis examined real-world trends in biomarker testing for bladder cancer within a US community oncology network over the past decade (2015-2024). Another study evaluated BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing trends by race among patients with metastatic prostate cancer from 2015 to 2024 in US community oncology settings.
The research also includes an analysis of first-line ibrutinib treatment patterns in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) patients. This real-world study characterized treatment patterns in patients who began first-line ibrutinib-based regimens between November 21, 2019 and July 31, 2023 in The US Oncology Network, focusing on therapy interruptions, discontinuation rates, and subsequent treatments.
Validation of Real-World Clinical Endpoints
Multiple studies will present validation analyses comparing real-world endpoints with clinical trial data. One retrospective observational study examined the concordance between real-world pathologic complete response (rwpCR) and pathologic complete response estimates from the 'chemotherapy only' arm of the KEYNOTE-522 trial in early stage triple negative breast cancer patients.
Similarly, researchers applied trial emulation methods to examine the concordance between real-world recurrence-free survival (rwRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (rwDMFS) estimates from the KEYNOTE-716 trial in early-stage melanoma patients. Another study assessed the relationship between time to metastatic disease (TTMd) and overall survival among patients with several solid tumor types to understand the potential of TTMd as a proxy endpoint.
Technology Applications in Oncology Research
The research portfolio includes several studies demonstrating advanced technology applications in oncology data analysis. Natural language processing (NLP) was utilized to extract TNM staging and histology data from unstructured electronic health record documents in gallbladder cancer patients, aiming to improve data completeness and accuracy.
A similar NLP approach was applied to enhance data abstraction accuracy in Waldenström macroglobulinemia, a rare B-cell neoplasm, by extracting diagnoses and dates from unstructured pathology reports. Additionally, researchers developed new real-world data quality frameworks and initiatives to address challenges in oncology electronic health record-derived databases for research.
Social Determinants of Health and Patient Care
The company will present research examining the broader factors affecting cancer outcomes. A scoping review evaluated the breadth of evidence published on the relationship between social determinants of health (SDOH) and cancer mortality, aiming to distinguish key concepts, common methodologies, and knowledge gaps.
One study evaluated distress thermometer (DT) utilization following electronic health record implementation in 2023 across a large network of US community oncology clinics. The research also includes development of a conceptual framework for integrating clinician stakeholder feedback into real-world data investigations.
Conference Participation and Engagement
Beyond research presentations, Ontada will lead a workshop on successful models for growing patient engagement in health economic outcomes research and an issue panel debating the readiness of social determinants of health data to inform efforts addressing health disparities in the US.
The company will maintain a presence at booth #1221 at the Montreal Convention Centre throughout the conference, allowing attendees to explore the presented data and experience Ontada's solutions firsthand. This comprehensive research portfolio reflects the company's position as a leader in community oncology real-world data generation and its collaboration with The US Oncology Network and global life sciences companies.
