title: Patient Support Groups Identifying Clinical Equipoise in UK Gynaecological Oncology Surgeons as the Basis for Trials in Ultraradical Surgery for Advanced Ovarian Cancer.
abstract: "Clinical equipoise" is defined as the genuine uncertainty by the expert medical community of the most beneficial treatment. A survey performed in 2013 by a patient support group, Ovacome, of gynaecological oncologists in the UK on ultra-radical surgery in advanced ovarian cancer has shown that there is a wide variation in surgical practice across the country. In addition, there were mixed views on the quality of published evidence justifying it's performance, signifying a state of clinical equipoise. The survey also identified widespread insufficient infra-structural resources and lack of surgical training and skills. The majority of respondents would be prepared to undertake additional training to acquire the surgical skills and/or refer to other centres/surgeons already performing the surgery and/or recruit to surgical trials investigating ultra-radical surgery in advanced ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: *Northern Gynaecological Oncology Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust; †Ovacome-The Ovarian Cancer Support Network; ‡School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham; §Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Northwood; and ∥Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bayne
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Founta
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kehoe
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rustin
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fotopoulou
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000941:ethics*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D066231:Surgeons; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D057212:Therapeutic Equipoise