Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

Patient Navigation Programs Improve Outcomes, Net Financial Benefits

Publish date:: May 23, 2019

Key clinical point: Patient navigation programs net better clinical and financial outcomes across the spectrum of cancer care.

Major finding: Most studies found that programs improved measures of screening, diagnosis, and treatment; financial benefits included reduced treatment costs improved life expectancy and quality-adjusted life-years, and decreased health care use.

Study details: Systematic review of 113 articles assessing patient navigation programs, 14 of which reported on cost-effectiveness.

Disclosures: One investigator disclosed receiving grant funding from the Merck Foundation and being a stockholder in Pfizer and a member of the American Cancer Society Patient Navigation Round Table; the other investigators made no disclosures. The study was supported by the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Bradley Charles Cooper Foundation.

Citation:

Bernardo BM et al. Cancer. 2019 Apr 29. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32147.

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