Radiotherapy comparisons
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
A body of "poor quality" data suggests that head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation may experience a better quality of life following intensity-modulated radiotherapy compared to two-dimensional radiotherapy or three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said in a draft comparative effectiveness 1report released for comments July 24. That is the strongest statement possible based on what is largely insufficient evidence on the relative outcomes from four different head and neck cancer radiotherapy treatments, AHRQ says. Acknowledging that head and neck cancers are relatively rare, AHRQ urges more multicenter, randomized trials or at least observational studies with more prospective data. Comments are due Aug. 22