Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology

Plain language summary: What is this article about? This article discusses the challenges of using non local real-world evidence (RWE) in health technology assessments (HTA) when local data are unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate. HTA organizations often prefer data collected locally or...

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Main Authors: Caitlin Clunie-O’Connor, Per-Olof Thuresson, Elizabeth Masters, Aliki Taylor, Mats Rosenlund, Philani Mpofu, Blythe Adamson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Becaris Publishing Limited 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research
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author Caitlin Clunie-O’Connor
Per-Olof Thuresson
Elizabeth Masters
Aliki Taylor
Mats Rosenlund
Philani Mpofu
Blythe Adamson
author_facet Caitlin Clunie-O’Connor
Per-Olof Thuresson
Elizabeth Masters
Aliki Taylor
Mats Rosenlund
Philani Mpofu
Blythe Adamson
author_sort Caitlin Clunie-O’Connor
collection DOAJ
description Plain language summary: What is this article about? This article discusses the challenges of using non local real-world evidence (RWE) in health technology assessments (HTA) when local data are unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate. HTA organizations often prefer data collected locally or regionally, but the lack of suitable data in many markets has increased interest in understanding data ‘transportability’ – whether data from one country or population can be used to predict outcomes in another. Established in 2024, the Flatiron Fostering Oncology RWE Use Cases and Methods (FORUM) research consortium is exploring when and how non-local RWE can be effectively applied, with initial work focused on lung cancer, breast cancer and multiple myeloma. What does the evidence suggest so far? Initial studies suggest RWE from the US could predict outcomes in other countries with proper adjustment for population and treatment differences. Recent research in advanced non-small cell lung cancer demonstrated that adjusted US data provided comparable survival to real observed outcomes in Canada and the UK. This limited evidence base indicates that non-local RWE can help inform decision-making when local data is unavailable. What studies are needed next? The FORUM consortium is expanding research to other cancer types and countries to better understand RWE transportability. Future studies will focus on comparing outcomes across diverse healthcare systems, identifying key variables for adjustment and developing guidelines for when and how non-local data can be used. These efforts aim to create a framework for the use of global RWE in oncology HTA decision-making.
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issn 2042-6313
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-889b9d7d8ca24e328e377346e7bd63352025-08-20T02:48:01ZengBecaris Publishing LimitedJournal of Comparative Effectiveness Research2042-63132025-07-0114810.57264/cer-2025-0053Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncologyCaitlin Clunie-O’Connor0Per-Olof Thuresson1Elizabeth Masters2Aliki Taylor3Mats Rosenlund4Philani Mpofu5Blythe Adamson6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4251-2912Flatiron Health UK, London, UKRoche, Basel, SwitzerlandPfizer, New York City, NY 10001, USAGilead, London, UKDaiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, Munich, GermanyFlatiron Health, New York, NY 10013, USAFlatiron Health, New York, NY 10013, USA; The Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy & Economics (CHOICE) Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USAPlain language summary: What is this article about? This article discusses the challenges of using non local real-world evidence (RWE) in health technology assessments (HTA) when local data are unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate. HTA organizations often prefer data collected locally or regionally, but the lack of suitable data in many markets has increased interest in understanding data ‘transportability’ – whether data from one country or population can be used to predict outcomes in another. Established in 2024, the Flatiron Fostering Oncology RWE Use Cases and Methods (FORUM) research consortium is exploring when and how non-local RWE can be effectively applied, with initial work focused on lung cancer, breast cancer and multiple myeloma. What does the evidence suggest so far? Initial studies suggest RWE from the US could predict outcomes in other countries with proper adjustment for population and treatment differences. Recent research in advanced non-small cell lung cancer demonstrated that adjusted US data provided comparable survival to real observed outcomes in Canada and the UK. This limited evidence base indicates that non-local RWE can help inform decision-making when local data is unavailable. What studies are needed next? The FORUM consortium is expanding research to other cancer types and countries to better understand RWE transportability. Future studies will focus on comparing outcomes across diverse healthcare systems, identifying key variables for adjustment and developing guidelines for when and how non-local data can be used. These efforts aim to create a framework for the use of global RWE in oncology HTA decision-making.health technology assessmenthtareal-world evidencerwetransportability
spellingShingle Caitlin Clunie-O’Connor
Per-Olof Thuresson
Elizabeth Masters
Aliki Taylor
Mats Rosenlund
Philani Mpofu
Blythe Adamson
Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology
Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research
health technology assessment
hta
real-world evidence
rwe
transportability
title Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology
title_full Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology
title_fullStr Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology
title_full_unstemmed Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology
title_short Crossing borders: the need for empirical evidence of real-world evidence transportability in oncology
title_sort crossing borders the need for empirical evidence of real world evidence transportability in oncology
topic health technology assessment
hta
real-world evidence
rwe
transportability
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AT perolofthuresson crossingborderstheneedforempiricalevidenceofrealworldevidencetransportabilityinoncology
AT elizabethmasters crossingborderstheneedforempiricalevidenceofrealworldevidencetransportabilityinoncology
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AT matsrosenlund crossingborderstheneedforempiricalevidenceofrealworldevidencetransportabilityinoncology
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