Dr Keerthi Gogineni presents data on a survey of 250 U.S. oncologists and hematologists which found that more than 80 percent of cancer doctors encountered cancer drug shortages between March and September of 2012 during a press conference at the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Many reported that shortages affected the quality of patient care that doctors were able to provide. The study also found that the cost of care was driven upward as, as physicians were forced to substitute more expensive drugs for cheaper generics. Shortages have also interfered with patient participation in clinical trials, slowing the pace of research progress. These findings were echoed by a second survey, conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

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