Identification of topics for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews in the field of cancer imaging.
OBJECTIVE
With rapid innovations in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in cancer care, comparative effectiveness reviews (CERs) are essential to inform clinical practice and guide future research. However, the optimal means to identify priority CER topics are uninvestigated. We aimed to devise a transparent and reproducible process to identify ten to 12 CER topics in the area of cancer imaging relevant to a wide range of stakeholders.


METHODS
Environmental scans and explicit prioritization criteria supported interactions (email communications, web-based discussions and live teleconferences) with experts and stakeholders culminating in a three-phase deductive exercise for prioritization of CER topics.


RESULTS
We prioritized 12 CER topics in breast, lung and gastrointestinal cancers that addressed screening, diagnosis, staging, monitoring and evaluating response to treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Our project developed and implemented a transparent and reproducible process for research prioritization and topic nomination that can be further refined to improve the relevance of future CERs.
Institute for Clinical Research & Health Policy Studies (ICRHPS), Tufts Medical Center & Tufts University School of Medicine, MA, USA.
Madhu
M
Rao
Thomas W
TW
Concannon
Ramon
R
Iovin
Winifred W
WW
Yu
Jeffrey A
JA
Chan
Georgios
G
Lypas
Teruhiko
T
Terasawa
James M
JM
Gaylor
Lina
L
Kong
Andrew C
AC
Rausch
Joseph
J
Lau
Georgios D
GD
Kitsios
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome