Publications by authors named "Melissa Brately"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the impact of recent evidence favoring stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) over conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for treating metastatic spine disease on insurance approval rates.
- Before the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) included this evidence in their guidelines, 25% of trial-eligible patients faced SBRT insurance denials; after inclusion, that rate dropped to 12.5% among a smaller group.
- Although the reduction in denials is notable, the small sample size makes it statistically insignificant, underscoring the need for more research and timely updates to clinical guidelines.
Introduction: Insurance denials for clinical trials serve as a pertinent barrier for patients to remain trial-eligible, thus hindering the development of therapies and the overall advancement of health care. We present results from an ongoing oncology randomized clinical trial regarding insurance denials and peer-to-peer authorization (P2PA) success rate in allowing patients to remain trial-eligible.
Methods: The ongoing Spine Patient Optimal Radiosurgery Treatment for Symptomatic Metastatic Neoplasms Phase II trial randomizes spine cancer patients to treatment with spine radiosurgery/stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) versus conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).