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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) are co-sponsoring a free conference on Methodological Challenges in Comparative Effectiveness Research. “Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is increasingly important to the advancement of MR-guided focused ultrasound,” says Joy Polefrone, Ph.D., director of the Foundation’s FUS-Targeted Drug Delivery initiative. CER compares existing treatment options to determine which is most effective in different types of patients and circumstances.  “Treatments for uterine fibroids – the first FDA-approved indication for MR-guided focused ultrasound – are already being addressed by an AHRQ stakeholder group. The group has developed protocol recommendations to address concerns about these treatments,” Polefrone notes. “Future applications of MR-guided focused ultrasound will undergo CER assessment in the U.S., making it important to understand this process and its impact on clinical use.” Scheduled for December 2-3, the conference will be held at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.  It will address a variety of important questions about comparative effectiveness research that face U.S. researchers, care providers, health systems, and patients. In particular, the conference will explore a number of case studies challenging the kinds of research, methods and analyses that should be used to address limitations in current evidence for interventions and tests being examined by decision-making bodies   Topics include: Comparative effectiveness of surgical and radiotherapy treatments for prostate cancer: Best methods for studying multilevel heterogeneous effects. Comparative effectiveness of medical and surgical treatments for stable ischemic heart disease within subgroups of patients and in the face of rapidly evolving treatments. Comparative effectiveness and costs of imaging strategies for diagnosing and monitoring patients with cancer. Evaluation of two high-profile comparative drug safety cases: Aprotinin and Rosiglitazone. Challenges of designing a “Learning Healthcare Systems” for Comparative Effectiveness Research.    In addition to these case-based discussions, consumers, economists, methodologists, policymakers and statisticians will present two additional sessions: Methods for Addressing Confounding in Observational Studies. Value of Information Techniques for Setting Research Priorities.   The conference is free and requires advance registration. To register and for more information, visit: http://conferences.thehillgroup.com/CERDecemberConference/about.html Written by Ellen C., McKenna

1.       High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: Myth or Reality?(Monday, November 29, 7:15-8:15 a.m.)  

Eva Bouwsma, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Rochester, MN, USA“Clinical Predictors of Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery”Caitlin Burke, University of Virginia, Biomedical Engineering, Charlottesville, VA, USA“Composite Drug-Delivery Agents Comprised of 5FU-Bearing Controlled-Release Nanoparticles Bonded to Microbubbles Inhibit Glioma Growth Upon Activation with Ultrasound” Navid Farr, University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering, Seattle, WA, USA“Small Animal Adaptor Setup and Protocols for Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound” Ronit Machtinger, M.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston, MA, USA“Analyzing Screen Failures Prior to MRgFUS for Uterine Fibroids: Do African American (AA) Women Have Different Characteristics?”

“Honestly this is one of the most amazing meetings I’ve attended” states Christopher Cheng, Singapore General Hospital. “There are a lot of networks being set up…You can hear accents from France, Europe, North America, Asia and people bring the diversities of their cultural and different backgrounds to the meeting. This is a prime example of how it should be done.”