Research
Population-based Research to Understand and Improve the Quality of Cancer Care
CanSORT has several NIH funded projects in collaboration with Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries in different geographic areas in the U.S. to evaluate patterns and quality of breast cancer treatment in racially/ethnically diverse patients. These projects evaluate patterns of breast cancer care in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, in Latinas, and African Americans; and assess the role of the health care system in contributing to patient outcomes in breast cancer treatment. We have also been funded to evaluate patterns and correlates of breast reconstruction following mastectomy, with a particular focus on why women received delayed reconstruction. CanSORT's most recent research examines the impact of breast cancer on patient quality of life and work and financial issues in the survivorship period.
These projects involve surveying patients across the continuum of care then linking this information to SEER data. CanSORT has also identified and surveyed the surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists who treated the women in our survey cohorts. These provider-level data are then merged with patient level data to obtain a large, population-based patient and provider merged dataset. These unique data allow CanSORT to inform many important clinical and policy issues related to breast cancer treatment from both patient and provider perspectives.
Additional NCI funded projects evaluate patterns of systemic treatment and the quality of diagnostic tests that direct treatment for women with breast cancer. In this research, patient survey and SEER data will be further supplemented by medical record data about patterns of chemotherapy utilization and dosing.
Innovative Intervention Research
CanSORT recognizes the importance of translating the results of population based research into interventions to improve the quality of care for patients. The research generated by CanSORT has identified the need to improve the quality of breast cancer treatment decision making, particularly for racial/ethnic minority women and those of lower literacy and lower acculturation. The team is currently developing a decision tool to improve the quality of breast cancer treatment decisions. A unique feature of this web-based tool will be the use of a preference elicitation method that allows women to compare and choose between attributes related to different surgical options, and to use feedback from the site in making their treatment decision. The CanSORT team is also funded to develop and evaluate a preference-based decision tool for colorectal cancer screening. The team plans to integrate this methodology into future interventions to improve the quality of cancer decision making and, ultimately, the quality of cancer treatment.
The Importance of Dissemination
CanSORT is committed to the broad dissemination of research and to the translation of research into clinical practice to improve the quality of cancer care in the community. The team has been funded through an NCI supplement to an existing grant to develop and evaluate a web-site for dissemination of research related to the quality of cancer care to surgeons caring for breast cancer patients. This is an exciting new direction for CanSORT and underscores the importance of dissemination to the overall goal of improving the quality of care for patients with cancer.