A graphical method for the analysis of decisions in clinical oncology.

A technique is proposed for the graphical analysis of clinical decision making. This technique has been applied to two problems in clinical oncology: the respective roles of surgery and radiotherapy in early carcinoma of the larynx; and the assessment of the optimal management policy for patients with clinical Stage I teratoma of the testis. The technique is simple to apply, it could be developed to incorporate patients' preferences and draws attention to the lack of data on treatment-related morbidity.