The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has scheduled a meeting of its Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MedCAC) on April 21, 2010, to consider the available evidence for radiation therapy (RT) for localized prostate cancer.
The panel will review evidence and hear public testimony on prostate brachytherapy treatment and on external-beam radiotherapy, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy, proton radiation therapy, and stereotactic radiation therapy.
In its announcement, CMS stated that once prostate cancer has been diagnosed, the decision of the best course of treatment can be complex. Noting that some prostate cancers grow so slowly that they would likely never cause significant problems during a patient's lifetime, CMS pointed out that the adverse effects of the available interventions and how they impact quality of life must also be considered.
MedCAC consists of a group of independent medical experts who provide independent guidance and expert advice to CMS on specific clinical topics. The committee is used to supplement CMS' internal expertise and to allow an unbiased and current deliberation of state-of-the-art technology and science.
CMS may refer a topic to MedCAC under circumstances that include a significant controversy among experts; when CMS would like additional expert review; when dissemination of a technology may make a major impact on the Medicare program, the Medicare population, or the clinical care for special beneficiary groups; and when CMS would like greater public input on the effectiveness of a service that could be subject to varying interpretations.
Related Reading
NYTimes: CyberKnife Medicare coverage varies in U.S., December 23, 2008
MedCAC panel gives VC mediocre marks, November 25, 2008
MedCAC panel members question VC's effectiveness, November 20, 2008
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