Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32706774›Full record

ArticlePloS one2020

Medical oncologists' perspectives of the Veterans Affairs National Precision Oncology Program.

Vishal Vashistha, Pradeep J Poonnen, Jane L Snowdon, Halcyon G Skinner, Victoria McCaffrey, Neil L Spector, Bradley Hintze, Jill E Duffy, Dilhan Weeraratne, Gretchen P Jackson and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 47% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
  2. Review
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

12 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Vishal VashisthaDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Precision Oncology Program, Durham, NC, United States of America.
Pradeep J PoonnenDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Precision Oncology Program, Durham, NC, United States of America.
Jane L SnowdonWatson Health, IBM, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.
Halcyon G SkinnerCollege of Health, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, United States of America.
Victoria McCaffreyWatson Health, IBM, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.
Neil L SpectorDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Precision Oncology Program, Durham, NC, United States of America.
Bradley HintzeDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Precision Oncology Program, Durham, NC, United States of America.
Jill E DuffyDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Precision Oncology Program, Durham, NC, United States of America.
Dilhan WeeraratneWatson Health, IBM, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.
Gretchen P JacksonWatson Health, IBM, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-3242-8058
Michael J KelleyDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Precision Oncology Program, Durham, NC, United States of America.
Vimla L PatelCenter for Cognitive Sciences in Medicine and Public Health, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York City, NY, United States of America.
Durham VA Medical Center · USIBM (United States) · USLehigh University · USNew York Academy of Medicine · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo support the rising need for testing and to standardize tumor DNA sequencing practices within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)'s Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP) was launched in 2016. We sought to assess oncologists' practices, concerns, and perceptions regarding Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and the NPOP. MATERIALS AND

methodsUsing a purposive total sampling approach, oncologists who had previously ordered NGS for at least one tumor sample through the NPOP were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Questions assessed the following: expectations for the NPOP, procedural requirements, applicability of testing results, and the summative utility of the NPOP. Interviews were assessed using an open coding approach. Thematic analysis was conducted to evaluate the completed codebook. Themes were defined deductively by reviewing the direct responses to interview questions as well as inductively by identifying emerging patterns of data.

resultsOf the 105 medical oncologists who were invited to participate, 20 (19%) were interviewed from 19 different VA medical centers in 14 states. Five recurrent themes were observed: (1) Educational Efforts Regarding Tumor DNA Sequencing Should be Undertaken, (2) Pathology Departments Share a Critical Role in Facilitating Test Completion, (3) Tumor DNA Sequencing via NGS Serves as the Most Comprehensive Testing Modality within Precision Oncology, (4) The Availability of the NPOP Has Expanded Options for Select Patients, and (5) The Completion of Tumor DNA Sequencing through the NPOP Could Help Improve Research Efforts within VHA Oncology Practices.

conclusionMedical oncologists believe that the availability of tumor DNA sequencing through the NPOP could potentially lead to an improvement in outcomes for veterans with metastatic solid tumors. Efforts should be directed toward improving oncologists' understanding of sequencing, strengthening collaborative relationships between oncologists and pathologists, and assessing the role of comprehensive NGS panels within the battery of precision tests.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsAdultEarly Detection of CancerFemaleGenetic TestingHigh-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsOncologistsPrecision MedicineSequence Analysis, DNAState Health PlansSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID32706774
PMCPMC7380614
OpenAlexW3044265202

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC0
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.