Flatiron’s presentations at ASCO 2021 demonstrate some of the latest applications of EHR-derived real-world data (RWD) to advance cancer care through research and the development of point-of-care tools. We continue to leverage our partnerships with academia, life sciences companies, and community oncologists to conduct research to advance drug development and patient care.
Aligned with the ASCO 2021 theme of “Equity: Every Patient. Every Day. Everywhere.”, this year’s highlights include an investigation of racial disparities in treatment patterns among breast cancer patients, as well as the development and application of a machine learning tool that can ultimately improve access for patients to clinical trials by improving the efficiency of patient ascertainment, thereby removing a key barrier for practices to take part in studies of rare populations.
An example of the power of RWD in aggregating clinical information in rare settings is our study of treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with Castleman disease. Additionally, to reduce the need for human curation in RWD research, we will be presenting a deep learning algorithm that automates the extraction of dates of key clinical events from unstructured chart notes. We leverage our clinico-genomic database, in partnership with Foundation Medicine, to understand implications of NGS-defined biomarkers in patients with breast cancer and gastroesophageal cancers. And finally, we would be remiss not to touch upon how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the value of EHR-derived RWD as a source of rapid insight to describe the impact of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic on cancer treatment.
Flatiron’s research continues to demonstrate the important applications, insights and impact of real-world data derived from electronic health records in discovery, therapeutic development, and cancer care -- with one critical goal in mind - to improve lives by learning from the experience of every patient with cancer.
See all the research that utilized Flatiron RWD, including three oral abstracts, on the ASCO website.