Evidence OSMedical evidence & research
Back to customer servicesPatients and families facing a major decision

After a cancer diagnosis, several treatment routes sound reasonable. How should we compare them?

You have a diagnosis and treatment proposals, but the choice or sequence of surgery and systemic treatment carries substantial consequences. Check the evidence before deciding with your treating team.

How does this scope address your concerns?

I do not want to compare hospital reputation alone or assume results in other patients apply to me. I need the trade-offs, support and unknowns made clear.

When this scope fits
  • An established diagnosis and a route proposed by a treating team
  • A clinically feasible waiting window and confirmed review by the relevant clinical specialty
When the scope needs adjusting
  • Immediate danger, acute deterioration or care that cannot wait: emergency and treating teams must act first; evidence work must not delay care
  • Expecting the platform to replace pathological diagnosis or prescribing, or guarantee treatment success
REAL SOURCES · ILLUSTRATIVE REQUEST · DOWNLOADABLE SAMPLE

Rectal cancer: chemotherapy or chemoradiation first?

Download sample packZIP

OPRA: 5-year TME-free survival

Unit: %
Chemotherapy → chemoradiation39 %

95% CI 32–48%

Chemoradiation → consolidation chemotherapy54 %

95% CI 46–62%

Published estimates; TME-free survival is not overall survival. Randomized phase II trial; sequence did not show a survival difference.

CheckFinding / sample contentUse
Study answerTwo sequences examined organ preservation and oncologic outcomesKeep organ preservation separate from disease-free survival
Patient fitMRI, response assessment and surveillance feasibility are absent hereAsk the treating oncology/surgical team to review
Consultation questionWhen is watch-and-wait appropriate and how is failure managed?Confirm monitoring and salvage plans before shared decisions
SOURCES USED IN THIS EXAMPLE
  1. OPRA randomized phase II trial: long-term results (JCO, 2024)
Prepared 5 Oct 2026 · Selected references, not an exhaustive systematic search

Major decisions: the work and payment flow

One decision stage is one work package. Begin with appraisal, then decide whether to continue. The contract defines each deliverable, payment and review responsibility.

  1. 01

    Free scope discussion

    Confirm the decision, deadline and service fit.

    Payment timingFree; overview only
  2. 02

    Records & question appraisal

    Receive facts, gaps, key questions and a scope proposal. You may stop here.

    Payment timingPay before appraisal; credit toward the same scope
  3. 03

    Evidence & option comparison

    Receive benefits, risks, patient fit and a source matrix.

    Payment timingStart payment after agreeing scope, reviewers and timing; progress payment at the draft milestone
  4. 04

    Relevant specialty review

    Receive review findings, corrections and unresolved questions.

    Payment timingIncluded review is not charged again
  5. 05

    Two reports & discussion

    Clinician and family reports, one discussion and agreed clarification.

    Payment timingFinal payment at the agreed delivery milestone

Payment example for one packageCNY 48,000

Illustrative budget including appraisal; shows instalments, not a completed engagement or a standard price.

Scope assessmentCNY 3,000
Start after scope and reviewers are confirmedCNY 15,000
Evidence draftCNY 18,000
Delivery and in-scope clarificationCNY 12,000

CNY 29,800–98,000 is the proposed reference range for one defined decision-stage package, rather than a fee for each step. The CNY 48,000 example includes CNY 3,000 appraisal plus CNY 45,000 subsequent work, with the agreed specialty review included.

Scope & acceptance

Work covered by the quote

  • Pilot policy: CNY 3,000 scope assessment, credited against a same-scope full commission
  • Stage consulting CNY 29,800–98,000; agree scope, reviewers and delivery window first
  • Baseline: 1 patient, 1 stage, 5 key questions, 3 routes, 100 record pages and 30 priority sources
  • Clinician and family materials, one evidence discussion and one in-scope clarification; agree changes first
  • Outside clinicians, pathology/genetic/imaging re-review, treatment and third-party charges are separate
  • A proposed service policy and delivery demonstration; acceptance, secure intake and payment capability require formal confirmation

Acceptance criteria

  • Each comparison row maps to a patient record or reference, with search cutoff, population fit and remaining gaps. Drafts do not make decisions reserved for clinicians and patients.

Checking the evidence

  • Retain identifiable original sources, authorised inputs and missing information.
Workflow and inputs

From inputs to delivery

Explore the workflow and deliverable structure. This preview does not run searches, read real records or produce medical findings.

01 / WORKFLOW PREVIEW

Define the question and available time

Confirm authorization, the waiting window allowed by the treating team, records, candidate routes, up to five questions and specialist review responsibilities. Do not accept this stage if delivery cannot fit the clinical deadline.

Methods, sources and professional responsibilities
THE BASIS FOR THIS SCOPE

Why this approach? Inspect the basis.

Consequential treatment decisions need both research evidence and a review of whether it applies to you.

OFFICIAL GUIDANCE

NCI · Cancer Treatment

National Cancer Institute / NIH

Cancer treatment options and clinical trials

Explore treatment types, treatment questions and clinical trials, then identify choices to discuss with the treating team.

Scope & access conditions

Public patient information cannot determine your best treatment. Pathology, stage, prior treatment and professional assessment remain necessary.

Open official source
OFFICIAL GUIDANCE

NICE · NG56

NICE · United Kingdom

Recheck applicability when conditions coexist

Single-condition evidence may come from populations with fewer coexisting conditions. Consider treatment burden, goals, benefits and harms.

Scope & access conditions

This supports the need to review applicability; it does not establish the effectiveness of a new treatment strategy.

Open official source
OFFICIAL GUIDANCE

NICE · NG197

NICE · United Kingdom

Discuss options, benefits and risks

Shared-decision guidance addresses benefits, risks, consequences, uncertainty and personal preferences.

Scope & access conditions

This is UK decision-support guidance, not a treatment conclusion for an individual or validation of EOS service outcomes.

Open official source
PUBLIC DATABASE

ClinicalTrials.gov

NLM / NIH

Check studies and reported results

Review study objectives, eligibility, locations, status and reported results, then identify questions for the clinical team.

Scope & access conditions

Sponsors or investigators submit the records. A listing is not government approval of safety or effectiveness, or a determination that you should participate.

Read the official description
Open official source

These references support problem definition and evidence appraisal. Your conclusions still require project-specific sources and professional review.

The value of this commissionEOS proposes traceable comparison of the evidence, patient fit and differences across several routes, with patient/clinician versions and an update baseline.

Evidence consulting for a major medical decisionCompare alternatives and value

Several treatment routes exist for cancer, a rare condition or serious complex illness. You need to understand what each means for this patient.

What to assessStanford Medicine / Cleveland ClinicEvidence OS · Commissioned scope
Service focusStanford lists USD975 for a written opinion. Cleveland lists US options at USD1690/1990 and international at USD4500, with China among excluded countries. Confirm fees and eligibility with the institution.EOS proposes traceable comparison of the evidence, patient fit and differences across several routes, with patient/clinician versions and an update baseline.
When to chooseAnother qualified clinician’s assessment of a diagnosis and treatment plan, delivered through an institution.Pilot baseline: one patient, one decision stage, up to 5 key questions and 3 candidate routes, 100 authorized record pages and 30 priority sources; one scoping discussion, one evidence discussion and one clarification round. Quote and delivery window follow confirmation of records, specialty and reviewers.
What the fee pays for
Assessment CNY 3,000; stage CNY 29,800–98,000. Clients decide whether to proceed after assessment. Credit the assessment against the same-scope full commission. New clinical stages, questions or record batches require an agreed change.
Value beyond this task
Agreed professional review record, unresolved issues and an update baseline. Illustrative total CNY 48,000 includes the CNY 3,000 assessment. This is not a completed client case, overseas specialist fee or treatment charge. Acceptance depends on the agreed work and traceable deliverables, not treatment changes, cost savings or survival improvement.
How to assess value
Check responses to the agreed questions, traceable sources, record gaps and differing opinions. For overseas routes, also check incremental services and third-party fees. Clinical outcomes are not consulting acceptance criteria.

Personal evidence consulting is not oncology treatment, pathological diagnosis or prescribing. Relevant specialist qualifications and review responsibilities must be confirmed before accepting a cancer or rare-condition commission. The patient and treating team make the treatment decision.

Reuse and updates after delivery
  • Reuse the materials across specialty consultations. Later pathology or outside opinions can be checked against the same baseline rather than retelling the entire course.

Agree reuse rights, retention and export periods, and future update fees when scoping.

Questions before commissioning

What does this add to another specialist opinion?

A clinical second opinion provides clinical judgment. This service makes source evidence, patient fit and differences across proposed routes traceable. They can work together; we do not claim superiority to a hospital specialist.

Can you tell me which route is certainly best?

No. We show the support, risks and unknowns and return clinical questions to the responsible treating team and patient.

Does the assessment commit me to the full service?

No. Assessment checks value, records and review capacity. Credit it against a same-scope commission if you proceed; agree the full fee and responsibilities first.

Define the delivery for your actual question.

Add your goal, available inputs and timing. Agree scope, review responsibilities and a quote before commissioning.

Request scope & quote
Explore other situations
Patients and families facing a major decision

Serious illness, major surgery and several conditions overlap. Does the standard route fit this patient?

Proposed delivery: conflicting goals, risks and evidence applicability compared, with questions for the multidisciplinary team.

Assessment CNY 3,000; stage CNY 29,800–98,000See the deliverable
Patients and families facing a major decision

Evidence for a rare condition is scarce. Which “new treatments” are worth asking our clinician about?

Proposed delivery: diagnostic and treatment questions, evidence-level comparisons and checkable specialist/trial candidates with eligibility questions.

Assessment CNY 3,000; stage CNY 29,800–98,000See the deliverable
Patients and families facing a major decision

Overseas care may cost a great deal. What could it add to the current proposal?

Proposed delivery: evidence comparison of up to three local/overseas routes, eligibility and cost verification checklist, bilingual materials and outside-consultation questions.

Assessment CNY 3,000; stage CNY 50,000–150,000See the deliverable
Patients and families facing a major decision

Two specialists proposed different routes. Clarify the disagreement before deciding.

Proposed delivery: opinion–evidence–patient-fit matrix, key unknowns and targeted questions for the treating team.

Assessment CNY 3,000; stage CNY 29,800–98,000See the deliverable
Patients and families facing a major decision

Understand one report and prepare clear appointment questions.

Proposed basic support: a sourced record-explanation draft, missing information and appointment questions.

CNY 99 per requestSee the deliverable
Patients and families facing a major decision

Follow-up records keep arriving. Keep each change organized.

Proposed basic support: a personal record timeline, automated version-change summary and follow-up questions.

CNY 199 setup + CNY 69 per monthSee the deliverable