National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Events (1)
- (-) Cancer (16)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Lung Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Prostate Cancer (7)
- (-) Comparative Effectiveness (16)
- Evidence-Based Practice (12)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Kidney Disease and Health (1)
- Medicare (1)
- Medication (2)
- Men's Health (3)
- Mortality (2)
- Opioids (1)
- (-) Outcomes (16)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (12)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Quality of Life (4)
- Research Methodologies (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (2)
- Sexual Health (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Surgery (7)
- Transplantation (1)
- Treatments (8)
- Women (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 16 of 16 Research Studies DisplayedWallis CJD, Huang LC, Zhao Z
Association between pelvic nodal radiotherapy and patient-reported functional outcomes through 5 years among men undergoing external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: an assessment of the Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation (C
In this study, the investigators sought to compare functional outcomes for men receiving prostate and pelvic versus prostate-only radiotherapy, longitudinally over 5 years. The investigators concluded that there were no clinically important differences in disease-specific or general health-related quality of life with the addition of pelvic irradiation to prostate radiotherapy, supporting the use of pelvic radiotherapy when it may be of clinical benefit, such as men with increased risk of nodal involvement.
AHRQ-funded; HS022640; HS019356.
Citation: Wallis CJD, Huang LC, Zhao Z .
Association between pelvic nodal radiotherapy and patient-reported functional outcomes through 5 years among men undergoing external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: an assessment of the Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation (C
Urol Oncol 2022 Feb;40(2):56.e1-56.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2021.04.035..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Men's Health, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality of Life
Pasalic D, Barocas DA, Huang LC
Five-year outcomes from a prospective comparative effectiveness study evaluating external-beam radiotherapy with or without low-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for localized prostate cancer.
This retrospective cohort study’s objective was to determine if there were differences in treatment-related regret or survival between prostate cancer patients who received external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with or without a brachytherapy boost (EBRT-LDR), over a 5-year period. The cohort included 695 men who met inclusion criteria and received either EBRT (n=583) or EBRT-LDR (n=112). Men who received either treatment reported clinically worse urinary irritation and bowel function through 3 years but resolved after 5 years. Men who received EBRT-LDR continued to report moderate- to-big problems with urinary function bother and frequent urination at 5 years. There was no difference in treatment-related regret or survival between patients who received either treatment.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Pasalic D, Barocas DA, Huang LC .
Five-year outcomes from a prospective comparative effectiveness study evaluating external-beam radiotherapy with or without low-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for localized prostate cancer.
Cancer 2021 Jun 1;127(11):1912-25. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33388..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Treatments
Gupta A, Sedhom R, Sharma R
Nonpharmacological interventions for managing breathlessness in patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review.
The purpose of this review was to evaluate the advantages and harms of nonpharmacological interventions for managing breathlessness in adults with advanced cancer. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for English-language studies about randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials, controlled trials, and observational studies. Findings included the safety and association with improved breathlessness of several nonpharmacological interventions for adults with advanced cancer. Recommendations included incorporating nonpharmacological interventions as first-line treatment for adults with advanced cancer and breathlessness.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500006I.
Citation: Gupta A, Sedhom R, Sharma R .
Nonpharmacological interventions for managing breathlessness in patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review.
JAMA Oncol 2021 Feb;7(2):290-98. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.5184..
Keywords: Cancer, Respiratory Conditions, Treatments, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Quality of Life, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Feliciano JL, Waldfogel JM, Sharma R
Pharmacologic interventions for breathlessness in patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the use of pharmacological interventions for breathlessness in patients with advanced cancer. Studies were identified from database inception to May 2020 using predefined eligibility criteria. Pharmacologic intervention benefits and harms were compared, focusing on breathlessness, anxiety, exercise capacity and health-related quality of life. Out of 7729 unique citations, 19 studies with a total of 1424 patients were included. Opioids were not associated with more effectiveness than placebo for improving breathlessness or exercise capacity. Anxiolytics were also not associated with more effectiveness than placebo for breathlessness or anxiety. There was limited evidence for other pharmacologic interventions. There was some harm, but it was minimal in those short-term studies.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500006I.
Citation: Feliciano JL, Waldfogel JM, Sharma R .
Pharmacologic interventions for breathlessness in patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Feb;4(2):e2037632. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37632..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Respiratory Conditions, Medication, Treatments, Opioids, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Quality of Life, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Huelster Huelster, Laviana AA, Joyce DD
Radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy: effect of timing of postprostatectomy radiation on functional outcomes.
This study sought to compare patient-reported functional outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP) and postprostatectomy radiation as well as elucidate the timing of radiation to allow optimal recovery of function. Findings showed that, in men with localized prostate cancer, post-RP radiotherapy was associated with significantly worse sexual, urinary, and bowel function domain scores at 5 years compared to RP alone. Radiation delayed for approximately 24 months after RP may be optimal for preserving erectile function compared to radiation administered closer to the time of RP.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Huelster Huelster, Laviana AA, Joyce DD .
Radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy: effect of timing of postprostatectomy radiation on functional outcomes.
Urol Oncol 2020 Dec;38(12):930.e23-30.e32. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.06.022..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Men's Health, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness
Sauder CAM, Bateni SB, Davidson AJ
Breast conserving surgery compared with mastectomy in male breast cancer: a brief systematic review.
The surgical guidelines for male breast cancer (MBC) have been largely guided by female-predominant clinical trials. Because no clinical trial has been conducted to examine the surgical treatment of MBC, the investigators performed a systematic review comparing the survival of patients with MBC who had undergone breast conserving surgery (BCS) and those who had undergone mastectomy and evaluated the patients' radiotherapy compliance after BCS.
AHRQ-funded; HS022236.
Citation: Sauder CAM, Bateni SB, Davidson AJ .
Breast conserving surgery compared with mastectomy in male breast cancer: a brief systematic review.
Clin Breast Cancer 2020 Jun;20(3):e309-e14. doi: 10.1016/j.clbc.2019.12.004..
Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Surgery, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes
Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z
Patient-reported outcomes through 5 years for active surveillance, surgery, brachytherapy, or external beam radiation with or without androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer.
This study compared different treatment of men with favorable-risk prostate cancer and those with unfavorable-risk disease and their functional outcomes 5 years post-treatment. Treatment options for favorable-risk disease include active surveillance, nerve-sparing prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), or low-dose-rate brachytherapy with prostatectomy being the most common. Treatment options for men with unfavorable-risk disease is prostatectomy or EBRT with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The cohort analyzed included men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 through 2012, accrued from 5 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program sites and a US prostate cancer registry, using surveys through September 2017. A total of 2005 men met inclusion criteria. For men with favorable-risk disease low-dose-rate brachytherapy was associated with worse urinary irritative, and sexual and bowel function at 1 year compared with active surveillance. Nerve-sparing prostatectomy was associated with worse urinary incontinence at 5 years and sexual function at 3 years compared with active surveillance. EBRT was not associated with clinically different function changes from active surveillance at any point during the 5 years. For men with unfavorable-risk disease, EBRT with ADT was associated with lower hormonal function at 6 months, bowel function at 1 year, but better sexual function and incontinence than prostatectomy.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z .
Patient-reported outcomes through 5 years for active surveillance, surgery, brachytherapy, or external beam radiation with or without androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer.
JAMA 2020 Jan 14;323(2):149-63. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.20675..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice, Treatments, Men's Health, Adverse Events, Surgery
Mullins BT, Basak R, Broughman JR
Patient-reported sexual quality of life after different types of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy: analysis of a population-based prospective cohort.
This study compares the effects of different types of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy on sexual function. A population-based cohort of 835 men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer from 2011 through 2013 was recruited in collaboration with the Rapid Case Ascertainment system of the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry. They were enrolled prior to treatment and followed retrospectively using the validated Prostate Cancer Symptom Indices (PCSI) instrument. The sexual function scores were compared among patients who received the following treatment types: external-beam RT (EBRT), EBRT with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), brachytherapy, nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (RP), and non-nerve-sparing RP. The cohort was surveyed at 24 months post-therapy, and RT alone was found to result in the best preservation of sexual function with brachytherapy, RT with ADT, and nerve-sparing RP yielding similar outcomes. Patients treated with non-nerve-sparing RP experienced the worst sexual function outcome.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Mullins BT, Basak R, Broughman JR .
Patient-reported sexual quality of life after different types of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy: analysis of a population-based prospective cohort.
Cancer 2019 Oct 15;125(20):3657-65. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32288..
Keywords: Quality of Life, Sexual Health, Surgery, Treatments, Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Evidence-Based Practice
Schmidt B, Eapen RS, Cowan JE
Practice patterns of primary EBRT with and without ADT in prostate cancer treatment.
This study investigated usage of external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), with or without neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), using data from a community-based prospective disease registry (CaPSURE). Data on 1337 men diagnosed between 1990 and 2014 with localized disease who received EBRT as primary treatment was compared. The authors conclude that use of ADT in conjunction with primary EBRT has increased in frequency and duration since 1990, and that men who received ADT have higher risk characteristics than those who receive EBRT alone.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356.
Citation: Schmidt B, Eapen RS, Cowan JE .
Practice patterns of primary EBRT with and without ADT in prostate cancer treatment.
Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2019 Mar;22(1):117-24. doi: 10.1038/s41391-018-0084-3..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Practice Patterns, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Treatments
Tyson MD, Koyama T, Lee D
Effect of prostate cancer severity on functional outcomes after localized treatment: comparative effectiveness analysis of surgery and radiation study results.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences in predicted function over time between radical prostatectomy (RP) or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for localized cancer varied by risk group. Patient-reported, disease-specific function was measured using the Expanded Prostate Index Composite and predicted function was estimated using regression models, compared by disease risk. The study found that sexual function was similar between surgery and radiation for patients with high-risk disease, and the authors conclude that high-risk patients undergoing radiation therapy should be counseled that their sexual function may not be as good as low-risk patients also undergoing radiation.
AHRQ-funded; HS019356; HS022640.
Citation: Tyson MD, Koyama T, Lee D .
Effect of prostate cancer severity on functional outcomes after localized treatment: comparative effectiveness analysis of surgery and radiation study results.
Eur Urol 2018 Jul;74(1):26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2018.02.012..
Keywords: Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Treatments, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice
Horiguchi M, Tian L, Uno H
Quantification of long-term survival benefit in a comparative oncology clinical study.
The authors discuss the quantification of long-term survival benefit in a comparative oncology clinical study. They assert that from the perspective of cost-risk-benefit, using a long-term survival benefit criterion for selecting anticancer therapies may be more appropriate.
AHRQ-funded; HS022193.
Citation: Horiguchi M, Tian L, Uno H .
Quantification of long-term survival benefit in a comparative oncology clinical study.
JAMA Oncol 2018 Jun;4(6):881-82. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.0518..
Keywords: Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Research Methodologies
Semenkovich TR, Panni RZ, Hudson JL
Comparative effectiveness of upfront esophagectomy versus induction chemoradiation in clinical stage T2N0 esophageal cancer: a decision analysis.
This study examined comparative effectiveness and survival rates for upfront esophagectomy versus induction chemoradiation in patients with clinical stage T2N20 esophageal cancer. A decision analysis model was created for the two treatment strategies. Results showed comparable median survival rates for both strategies. The optimal treatment strategy depended on the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound staging.
AHRQ-funded; HS022330.
Citation: Semenkovich TR, Panni RZ, Hudson JL .
Comparative effectiveness of upfront esophagectomy versus induction chemoradiation in clinical stage T2N0 esophageal cancer: a decision analysis.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018 May;155(5):2221-30.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2018.01.006..
Keywords: Treatments, Cancer, Surgery, Comparative Effectiveness, Shared Decision Making, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Medication
Borah BJ, Yao X, Laughlin-Tommaso SK
Comparative effectiveness of uterine leiomyoma procedures using a large insurance claims database.
The objective of this retrospective analysis of administrative claims from a large U.S. commercial insurance database, was to compare risk of reintervention, long-term clinical outcomes, and health care utilization among women who have bulk symptoms from leiomyoma and who underwent the following procedures: hysterectomy, myomectomy, uterine artery embolization, and magnetic resonance-guided, focused ultrasound surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS023418.
Citation: Borah BJ, Yao X, Laughlin-Tommaso SK .
Comparative effectiveness of uterine leiomyoma procedures using a large insurance claims database.
Obstet Gynecol 2017 Nov;130(5):1047-56. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002331..
Keywords: Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Health Insurance, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Surgery, Women
Pierorazio PM, Johnson MH, Patel HD
Management of renal masses and localized renal cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
This review aimed to summarize evidence on effectiveness and comparative effectiveness of active surveillance (AS), thermal ablation (TA), and radical (RN) or partial nephrectomy (PN) for patients with a renal mass suspicious for localized renal cancer. It concluded that comparative studies demonstrated similar cancer-secific survival across management strategies, with some differences in renal functional outcomes, perioperative outcomes, and postoperative harms that should be considered when choosing a management strategy.
AHRQ-funded; 290201200007I.
Citation: Pierorazio PM, Johnson MH, Patel HD .
Management of renal masses and localized renal cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
J Urol 2016 Oct;296(4):989-99. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2016.04.081.
.
.
Keywords: Cancer, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Kidney Disease and Health
Cauley RP, Potanos K, Fullington N
The effect of graft type on mortality in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.
The researchers aimed to: (1) examine the risk of mortality in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), (2) to establish if this risk is affected by partial graft use, and (3) to determine if this effect is mitigated by improved tumor-associated risk stratification. They found that the risk of mortality following LT does not differ by the type of graft used in recipients with favorable-risk HCC or those without HCC.
AHRQ-funded; HS019485.
Citation: Cauley RP, Potanos K, Fullington N .
The effect of graft type on mortality in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Ann Transplant 2015 Mar 30;20:175-85. doi: 10.12659/aot.892613..
Keywords: Mortality, Cancer, Transplantation, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes
Tien YY, Link BK, Brooks JM
Treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the elderly: regimens without anthracyclines are common and not futile.
This study characterized treatment choices and compared the 3-year overall survival rates of 8262 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in 2000 – 2006. It found that patients treated with anthracycline-containing regimens with rituximab have the highest survival rates when all available clinical features are accounted for.
AHRQ-funded; HS016094.
Citation: Tien YY, Link BK, Brooks JM .
Treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the elderly: regimens without anthracyclines are common and not futile.
Leuk Lymphoma 2015 Jan;56(1):65-71. doi: 10.3109/10428194.2014.903589..
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Medicare, Outcomes, Cancer, Mortality