New tool to assess costs and benefits of US cancer therapy

Los Angeles

AS options for cancer patients become increasingly complicated, and expensive, the most influential source for US oncology treatment guidelines will for the first time offer a tool to assess the costs versus benefits of available therapies.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) says its new tool will provide a clearer picture of the relative value of medication options, particularly in cases where a very expensive therapy does little to improve survival.

Doctors developing the measures expect them to shift demand away from less effective treatments, influencing the prices drugmakers are able to charge. …