title: An overview of methods for comparative effectiveness research.
abstract: Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is a broad category of outcomes research encompassing many different methods employed by researchers and clinicians from numerous disciplines. The goal of cancer-focused CER is to generate new knowledge to assist cancer stakeholders in making informed decisions that will improve health care and outcomes of both individuals and populations. There are numerous CER methods that may be used to examine specific questions, including randomized controlled trials, observational studies, systematic literature reviews, and decision sciences modeling. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. To both inform and serve as a reference for readers of this issue of Seminars in Radiation Oncology as well as the broader oncology community, we describe CER and several of the more commonly used approaches and analytical methods.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Electronic address: meyera@email.unc.edu.
authors: Anne-Marie
authors: AM
authors: Meyer
authors: Stephanie B
authors: SB
authors: Wheeler
authors: Morris
authors: M
authors: Weinberger
authors: Ronald C
authors: RC
authors: Chen
authors: William R
authors: WR
authors: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies / Q000379:methods; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000532:radiotherapy; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D012107:Research Design