Publikation

Consensus-based standards for best supportive care in clinical trials in advanced cancer

Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review - 01.02.2012

Bereiche
PubMed
DOI

Zitation
Zafar S, Currow D, Cherny N, Strasser F, Fowler R, Abernethy A. Consensus-based standards for best supportive care in clinical trials in advanced cancer. Lancet Oncol 2012; 13:e77-82.
Art
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review (Englisch)
Zeitschrift
Lancet Oncol 2012; 13
Veröffentlichungsdatum
01.02.2012
eISSN (Online)
1474-5488
Seiten
e77-82
Kurzbeschreibung/Zielsetzung

Best supportive care is poorly defined in clinical trials, and a standard framework for delivery of such care is needed, using best available evidence and allowing replication of studies. We convened a panel of 36 experts to develop consensus statements via the Delphi method. The first round included open-ended questions; subsequent rounds sought to develop consensus-based standards. Consensus was assessed by use of a 5-point Likert agreement scale; more than 70% of panellists had to give a score of 5 to meet a-priori levels of consensus. The panel identified four key domains of best supportive care in clinical trials: multidisciplinary care; supportive care documentation; symptom assessment; and symptom management. Consensus was reached on 11 statements within these four domains. For example, 24 (96%) panellists recommended that the intervals between symptom assessments should be identical for control and experimental groups. Availability of resources was cited as a challenge to implementation of best supportive care standards.