Oncologists were more likely to provide low-value cancer care after receiving money from pharmaceutical companies, and the findings raise questions about the extent to which industry influence may have led to patient harm, according to a new study.
The study looked at two scenarios: medications that were not recommended for treating a particular cancer, such as denosumab, which is administered for prostate cancer, and GCSF medications that are used to stimulate the bone marrow to make blood cells. The other scenario involved treatments that were more expensive, but no more effective than alternatives, such as the Abraxane chemotherapy.
Overall, the proportion of patients who were prescribed so-called low-value drugs was higher when their oncologist accepted industry payments, according to the study, published in the BMJ. The researchers examined Medicare beneficiaries who were diagnosed with cancer and received treatment from 2014 through 2019. They also scoured a federal database for personal payments — mostly meals, and speaking and consulting fees — paid to oncologists.
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