Guidelines regarding surveillance of cancer survivors have low specificity and consistency, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of national cancer guidelines from North America and Europe published since 2010. These guidelines address post-treatment care for survivors of the nine most common cancers. They categorized surveillance modalities into history and physical examinations, tumor markers, diagnostic procedures and imaging. They identified 41 guidelines published between Jan. 1, 2010, and March 1, 2016.
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Professional organizations released 35 of the 41 studies. Around 83 percent of the guidelines (34 studies) included ambiguous recommendations. Eighteen studies recommended against at least one test.
The study also shows that European guidelines were more likely than North American guidelines to contain ambiguous recommendations. Recommendations commonly specified testing frequency, but did not specify when testing should be stopped. Also, the recommendations regarding cross-sectional imaging varied among different cancers.
"As guidelines continue to be revised, developers should clarify recommendations with simple, nonambiguous, definitive language for or against the use of specific tests to optimize care quality and resource utilization," the study authors conclude.