Webinar: Feb 28, 2008

Decision Support Tools that Can Be Used to Guide Evidence-Based Policies/Guidelines and Cancer Control Planning to Reduce Colorectal Cancer Mortality

Thursday, February 28, 2008
3:30-4:30 p.m. EST

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Office of Advocacy Relations hosted a webinar on a set of decision support tools developed through NCI funding that can be used to guide evidence-based policies/guidelines and cancer control planning to decrease colorectal cancer deaths through optimal use of cancer control interventions (i.e. screening, treatment, and risk factor modification).

This webinar was targeted to colleagues in the fields of advocacy, public policy, legislative affairs, cancer control planning, and clinical science. It was also for researchers who may work on specific interventions (e.g., programs to increase screening rates among diverse racial-ethnic groups), and are interested in the potential impact of those programs on mortality when scaled up to the population level.

These decision support tools are a part of CISNET, which is a consortium of investigators who focus on modeling to improve our understanding of the impact of cancer control interventions (e.g., prevention, screening treatment), on population trends in incidence and mortality. These models are also used to project future trends, and to help determine optimal cancer control strategies. CISNET modelers are interested in working with health policy planners.

For the first half of the webinar, presenters gave an overview of CISNET. They presented examples of current applications including a cost-effectiveness analysis for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)on the new technology of a DNA stool test for colorectal cancer screening and a new interactive Web site for modeling the impact of reducing risk factors, increasing screening, and chemotherapy dissemination on US mortality through 2020.

In the second half of the call, callers were invited to ask questions about how these tools might be applied to issues of specific interest (e.g., cancer control planning in a geographic area, cost-effective screening strategies).

Recording of the Webinar

Download the Webinar (WMV, 6.3 MB) (WMV - 6 MB)
Download the Transcript (PDF, 327 KB) (PDF - 326 KB)

Speakers

Eric J. (Rocky) Feuer, PhD
Chief, Statistical Research and Applications Branch
CISNET Program Director
Surveillance Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
Overview of the CISNET Consortium

Ann G. Zauber, PhD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Associate Attending Biostatistician
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Head of the Colorectal Cancer CISNET coordinating center
Overview of the Colorectal CISNET Group and Applications to Health Care Policy

Scott Gilkeson, MS
scottgilkeson.com
President and Chief Web Designer
Interactive Colorectal Cancer Mortality Projections Web Site

William Lawrence, MD, MS
Center for Outcomes and Evidence
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Project officer for CMS report on stool DNA cost-effectiveness
Collaborating with CISNET Modelers

Resources

Karen Kuntz, ScD, University of Minnesota, and Carolyn Rutter, PhD, of the Group Health Research Institute, are principal investigators, along with Dr. Zauber, of CISNET Colorectal Cancer Modeling efforts, were also available to answer questions.

For More Information

CMS Report: Cost-Effectiveness of DNA Stool Testing to Screen for Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal Cancer Mortality Projections Web Site