Comparative effectiveness research in gynecologic oncology

Abstract

The field of gynecologic oncology is faced with a number of challenges including how to incorporate new drugs and procedures into practice, how to balance therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of treatment, how to individualize therapy to particular patients or groups of patients, and how to contain the rapidly rising costs associated with oncologic care. In this chapter we examine three common and highly debated clinical scenarios in gynecologic oncology: the initial management of ovarian cancer, the role of lymphadenectomy in the treatment of endometrial cancer, and the choice of adjuvant therapy for ovarian cancer.