PRO 11 - Making Sense of Clinical Trials in Community Radiation Oncology: From Headlines to High-Value Care
MODERATOR(S)
Nataniel Lester-Coll, MD - University of Vermont
session DESCRIPTION
Community radiation oncologists are asked to incorporate new clinical trial data into daily practice at an accelerating pace. Yet many influential studies in radiotherapy involve design nuances that may be challenging to interpret. This PRO session focuses on practical interpretation of contemporary radiation oncology trials, emphasizing how to decide what actually changes practice. Using real-world examples from recent high-impact studies—including radiation omission/de-escalation trials, trials of emerging technologies (adaptive RT, MR-guided RT, SBRT, protons), and randomized phase II and III studies — faculty will walk attendees through efficient frameworks to assess relevance, bias and clinical meaning. Through case-based discussion, participants will learn how to distinguish statistical significance from clinical relevance, understand what different endpoints (including quality-of-life and non-inferiority margins) do and do not tell us, compare and contrast prospective and observational data, and determine when evidence is sufficient to support change (or not) in community practice. Emphasis is placed on common clinical scenarios faced by practicing oncologists and on communicating evidence, uncertainty, and value clearly to patients and care teams. The session provides immediately usable frameworks to support thoughtful, evidence-based radiation oncology care in the community.
learning objectives
- Assess whether results from major radiation oncology trials are applicable to their own community practice and patient population.
- Interpret key trial endpoints and results to distinguish statistical significance from clinically meaningful benefit.
- Communicate trial evidence, uncertainty and treatment value effectively to patients and multidisciplinary care teams.
Credits
| AMA PRA Category 1 Credits: | 1.25 |
Presentations
-
04:45pm - 04:47pm ETSpeaker: Nataniel Lester-Coll, MD - University of Vermont, Burlington
-
04:47pm - 05:07pm ETSpeaker: Henry Park, MD, MPH - Yale University, New Haven
-
05:07pm - 05:27pm ETSpeaker: Nina Sanford, MD - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
-
05:27pm - 05:47pm ETSpeaker: James Yu, MD, FASTRO, MHS - Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon
-
05:47pm - 06:00pm ETSpeaker: Nataniel Lester-Coll, MD - University of Vermont, Burlington