Introduction The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Moon Shots Program® is a collaborative effort to accelerate the development of scientific discoveries into clinical advances that save patients’ lives. The program was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s speech…
As information technology has matured, organizations and industries embracing the use of data-driven analytics to guide services has profoundly changed the human experience. Just-in-time inventory, predictive pricing models and simple applications such as web searches have generated immense gains in…
It is estimated that 30%–40% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. In those patients, cancer will be a major cause of death. Therefore, it is anticipated that millions of patients will die of cancer…
Key Points Major abdominal surgery is associated with a high prevalence of complications. Postoperative complications are associated with increased hospital costs. Postoperative complications are associated with increased hospital length of stay. Minor complications (Clavien-Dindo grade I and II) are common…
Introduction Cancer is an intensely emotional disease that places much of one’s life in jeopardy. The total cost of cancer care increased from $124 billion in 2010 to at least an estimated $206 billion in 2020. Some articles quote at…
Introduction The National Cancer Act, also known as the “War on Cancer” Act, was signed into law in 1971. Thanks to the Act’s support for ongoing cancer-related research, the number of cancer survivors in the United States has been progressively…
Introduction Shared decision-making (SDM) in cancer care seems to state the obvious. What other kinds of decision-making are ethical for oncologic patients, or in fact, any patient? Despite this self-evident truth, the widespread corporatization of health care across many countries…
Introduction It is imperative that patients with cancer are followed closely, so as to maximize treatment benefit while minimizing complications; thus monitoring the severity of symptoms and functional impairment is a critical component of patient care. Many stakeholder groups (e.g.,…
Introduction Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the developed world. , It is estimated that up to 50% of inpatient admissions worldwide are for a diagnosis of cancer. As cancer prevalence increases over time, an even…
Radar Plots A Comprehensive Value Equation for a Comprehensive Cancer Center Over the past decade, many forms of the value equation have emerged from the original “Value = Outcomes/Cost” framework promulgated by Professors Michael Porter, Elizabeth Teisberg, and Robert Kaplan…