Overview
Individual patient-level data is not always available, and oftentimes when assessing transportability between two settings, this patient-level data may only be available in one location. To combat this, researchers use a method known as matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) to adjust the study population to the target population.
In this study, researchers assessed the validity of MAIC through a transportability study comparing the overall survival of individuals with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in the UK and US. With individual patient-level data available in both settings, the researchers compared the results of the aggregate patient-level data with the results of MAIC and showed aggregated data can be used to assess evidence transportability when individual patient-level data are unavailable for people with HER2+ mBC.
Why this matters
This research justifies a common approach to transporting data across country borders, opening doors to further research in local areas where individual patient-level data may not be available. Deepening understanding of how real-world data can be applied internationally, we reduce uncertainty in how precisely we can predict a drug or treatment will work in another country, improving care options for people with cancer world wide.