Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31785370›Full record

ArticlePractical radiation oncology

Peer Influence on Physician Use of Shorter Course External Beam Radiation Therapy for Patients with Breast Cancer.

James B Yu, Craig E Pollack, Jeph Herrin, Pamela R Soulos, Weiwei Zhu, Xiao Xu, Cary P Gross

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Practical radiation oncology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

James B YuDepartment of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut; Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut. Electronic address: james.b.yu@yale.edu.
Craig E PollackJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
Jeph HerrinCancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut.
Pamela R SoulosCancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut.
Weiwei ZhuCancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut.
Xiao XuCancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Cary P GrossCancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut; Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut.
Yale Cancer Center · USJohns Hopkins University · USYale University · US

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
Impact of Social contagion on Physician use of unproven cancer interventionsR01CA190017 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI GROSS, CARY P. · 2014 to 2017
$2.2M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863NCI NIH HHS R01 CA190017
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSocial contagion among physicians may affect the dissemination of innovative and high-value cancer care. We applied social contagion theory to investigate the role of physician peer influence on the use of short courses of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for patients with breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Using a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries with breast cancer, we constructed physician peer groups based on patient-sharing relationships. Outcomes were a patient's receipt of (1) moderately hypofractionated adjuvant EBRT after breast-conserving surgery and (2) short-course palliative EBRT for bone metastases. Using a longitudinal design, we used mixed-effects logistic regression to examine the association between physician peer group rate of short-course EBRT in 2011 to 2012 (T1) and patients' receipt of short-course EBRT in 2013 to 2014 (T2).

resultsDuring T2, a total of 17,248 patients received adjuvant therapy (32.3% moderately hypofractionated) from 3235 physicians in 1202 physician peer groups. Compared with patients treated within peer groups in which no moderately hypofractionated adjuvant EBRT was used in T1, patients treated by a physician in a peer group with higher T1 use of moderately hypofractionated adjuvant EBRT were more likely to receive moderately hypofractionated adjuvant EBRT in T2 (adjusted odds ratio = 2.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.62-2.54, vs adjusted odds ratio = 2.61; 95% confidence interval, 2.04-3.35, for peer groups where 21%-46% and 47%-100% of radiation oncologists used moderately hypofractionated adjuvant EBRT in T1, respectively, compared with peer groups with no use of moderately hypofractionated adjuvant EBRT). In contrast, there was no significant relationship between T1 peer group use and T2 receipt of short-course palliative EBRT for bone metastases.

conclusionsPhysician peer groups significantly influenced use of short-course EBRT in adjuvant therapy but not in palliative therapy for patients with breast cancer.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overBrachytherapyBreast NeoplasmsCohort StudiesFemaleHumansPeer InfluencePhysicians

Identifiers

PMID31785370
PMCPMC7061062
OpenAlexW2990323366

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.