OBJECTIVES: The FDA has signaled a push to incorporate real-world evidence (RWE) in the drug approval and label expansion process. How this resonates with practicing community oncologists is unknown. We conducted cross-sectional surveys to understand how RWE might influence clinicians in treatment decision making.

METHODS: A total of 122 community-based oncologists were surveyed during 2 separate live meetings. Several real-world prospective and retrospective studies were presented. Providers were asked whether they have participated in or utilized RWE research in their practice. They were also asked to evaluate the utility of each study in oncology care. Data were collected using audience response system.

RESULTS: Overall, 76% of providers stated that they strongly or somewhat agree that RWE is necessary to inform clinical practice given inherent limitations of clinical trials. However, 69% stated that they never or don’t often use results from these studies when making a treatment decision. Only 8% stated that RWE guides clinical decision making, whereas 73% only refer to National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for treatment recommendation. When presented with RWE research describing treatment patterns for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients, 46% found the data not very or not at all valuable. When presented with RWE research describing survival of patients treated with pazopanib versus sunitinib for advanced renal cell carcinoma, 64% indicated that the data were not very or not at all valuable. Overall, 21% of providers indicated previous participation in RWE studies.

CONCLUSIONS: The apparent disconnect between perceived value versus practical utility of RWE research to oncologists is noteworthy. While supermajority of participants believe that RWE is needed to inform clinical practice, few incorporate RWE outcomes into treatment decision making or regard such research favorably when it is directly presented. Understanding the reasons behind this gap is essential if RWE research outcomes are incorporated into FDA drug approval processes.