Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: the widely observation of inappropriate use of bio- markers in clinical practice and limited economic resources require strategies to translate the knowledge on their clinical utility and limitations to their users.
Objectives: to produce synthesis of recommendations for clinical use of biomarkers in 17 neoplasias for all clinical spectrum together with AGREE critical appraisal, having the purpose to represents systematic comparison of guidelines addressing similar topic areas and facilitate their use by end-user in a independent and critical way.
Methods: the project was developed in the last 2 years adopting a transparent, explicit, and systematic EBM approach, involving a working group of 60 professional figures with expertises in different health and economic fields. The search of the guidelines was conducted following systematic methodological criteria and the selection was conducted by 2 independent reviewers using pre-settled criteria. Recommendations regarding biomarkers with the corresponding strength of evidence and recommendation rating schemes were extracted and recorded in tables and then synthesised into synoptical tables. The critical appraisal was conducted using the AGREE-I instrument by at least three independent professional figures from the working group. In addition, more in-depth original methodological tables were produced to describe the strengths and limitations of the body of selected evidence.
Results: from over 3500 abstracts in the English and Italian language published in the last seven years (using MEDLINE and the principal guidelines databases) 52 EBM guidelines were selected and critically appraised between February and June 2010. The synoptical tables and the AGREE evaluation were published in a document in October 2010.
Conclusions: the final document synthetises the available recommendations for each clinical spectrum and at the same time supplies a synthetic methodological quality appraisal of the guidelines. This approach allows the users to make critical and informed decisions on biomarkers use in clinical practice oncology.
Objectives: to produce synthesis of recommendations for clinical use of biomarkers in 17 neoplasias for all clinical spectrum together with AGREE critical appraisal, having the purpose to represents systematic comparison of guidelines addressing similar topic areas and facilitate their use by end-user in a independent and critical way.
Methods: the project was developed in the last 2 years adopting a transparent, explicit, and systematic EBM approach, involving a working group of 60 professional figures with expertises in different health and economic fields. The search of the guidelines was conducted following systematic methodological criteria and the selection was conducted by 2 independent reviewers using pre-settled criteria. Recommendations regarding biomarkers with the corresponding strength of evidence and recommendation rating schemes were extracted and recorded in tables and then synthesised into synoptical tables. The critical appraisal was conducted using the AGREE-I instrument by at least three independent professional figures from the working group. In addition, more in-depth original methodological tables were produced to describe the strengths and limitations of the body of selected evidence.
Results: from over 3500 abstracts in the English and Italian language published in the last seven years (using MEDLINE and the principal guidelines databases) 52 EBM guidelines were selected and critically appraised between February and June 2010. The synoptical tables and the AGREE evaluation were published in a document in October 2010.
Conclusions: the final document synthetises the available recommendations for each clinical spectrum and at the same time supplies a synthetic methodological quality appraisal of the guidelines. This approach allows the users to make critical and informed decisions on biomarkers use in clinical practice oncology.