Commentary: Should Cost and Comparative Value of Treatments Be Considered in Clinical Practice Guidelines?

The cost of cancer treatment in the United States is increasing and has become a topic of national debate.1 On average, US health care expenditures have grown more rapidly over the past three decades than in any other major industrialized nation. Cancer diagnostics and therapeutics constitute a substantial proportion of these costs. It is therefore critical to aggregate and evaluate evidence related to the effectiveness, safety, and relative value of treatments, toward informing clinical and policy decisions.