title: Generating and evaluating evidence of the clinical utility of molecular diagnostic tests in oncology.
abstract: Enthusiasm for molecular diagnostic (MDx) testing in oncology is constrained by the gaps in required evidence regarding its impact on patient outcomes (clinical utility (CU)). This effectiveness guidance document proposes recommendations for the design and evaluation of studies intended to reflect the evidence expectations of payers, while also reflecting information needs of patients and clinicians.
  
  
  
  Our process included literature reviews and key informant interviews followed by iterative virtual and in-person consultation with an expert technical working group and an advisory group comprising life-sciences industry experts, public and private payers, patients, clinicians, regulators, researchers, and other stakeholders.
  
  
  
  Treatment decisions in oncology represent high-risk clinical decision making, and therefore the recommendations give preference to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for demonstrating CU. The guidance also describes circumstances under which alternatives to RCTs could be considered, specifying conditions under which test developers could use prospective-retrospective studies with banked biospecimens, single-arm studies, prospective observational studies, or decision-analytic modeling techniques that make a reasonable case for CU.
  
  
  
  Using a process driven by multiple stakeholders, we developed a common framework for designing and evaluating studies of the clinical validity and CU of MDx tests, achieving a balance between internal validity of the studies and the relevance, feasibility, and timeliness of generating the desired evidence.Genet Med 18 8, 780-787.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Technology Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1777-4286
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deverka
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Technology Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Donna A
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9123-1450
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Messner
authors.affiliation: Janssen Oncology, Johnson & Johnson, Raritan, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McCormack
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Gary H
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0823-8086
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lyman
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6231-9653
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piper
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.affiliation: New Enterprise Associates, Inc., Menlo Park, California, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.affiliation: Epic Sciences, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0878-8926
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Howard L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: McLeod
authors.affiliation: Research Advocacy Network, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Lou
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: ADVI, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3749-1299
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jacques
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Technology Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Technology Policy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Sean R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Tunis
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*