Challenges in analyzing real-world evidence: analysis of androgen deprivation therapy use for prostate cancer in the REASSURE study.

An understanding of how androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) prescribing patterns impact patient outcomes in a real-world setting is needed to help inform treatment decisions and improve the care of patients with prostate cancer (PCa). REASSURE was a retrospective, observational study that described patterns of ADT use derived from the electronic health records of 952 patients with PCa in the CancerLinQ database. Study objectives included patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and ADT treatment duration by treatment received [goserelin or other ADTs (leuprorelin, degarelix, or triptorelin)]. While some patterns of ADT use in REASSURE were consistent with recommendations from clinical practice guidelines, there were also some inconsistencies. Findings from REASSURE highlighted the importance of considering potential differences in health care systems, population coverage, and patient data collection between regions, as well as incorporating data from multiple sources to capture data from more diverse patient populations, thus improving the quality of outputs from real-world studies.