Colorectal Cancer PSP (Germany) Question Verification Form

  • Published: 12 July 2022
  • Version: V1
  • 2 min read

The purpose of this Question Verification Form is to enable Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) to describe clearly how they checked that their questions were unanswered, before starting the interim prioritisation stage of the process.

The JLA requires PSPs to be transparent and accountable in defining their own scope and evidence checking process. This will enable researchers and other stakeholders to understand how individual PSPs decided that their questions were unanswered, and any limitations of their evidence checking.

Name of the PSP

Colorectal Cancer

Please describe the scope of the PSP

The goal in forming the CRC Priority-Setting Partnership (PSP) was to bring all relevant stakeholders together to identify and prioritize unresolved research questions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of CRC. After identification process a prioritisation takes place by all relevant stakeholders with the aim to publish the TOP 10 unanswered questions and to focus on these relevant topics in future research projects.

Please provide a brief overview of your approach to checking whether the questions were unanswered

A systematic literature search was performed to ensure that the collected questions are not yet answered according Oxford evidence level 1a/1b. Several guidelines (NICE, AWMF, ESMO, NCNN) and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were screened for aspects regarding diagnostics, therapy and oncological aftercare of CRC which are not answered with high quality RCT’s or meta-analysis yet. Additionally, uncertainties from the available literature that were not submitted in the first survey were enclosed.

Please list the type(s) of evidence you used to verify your questions as unanswered

Clinical guidelines, systematic reviews

Please list the sources that you searched in order to identify that evidence

Clinical guidelines: NICE, AWMF, ESMO, NCNN
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

What search terms did you use?

("Colorectal Neoplasms"[Mesh] OR "Colonic Neoplasms"[MesH])
OR ((colon* OR colorectal*):ti,ab,kw OR "Colon"[Mesh])) AND
(neoplasm* OR tumor OR tumors OR tumorous OR tumour* OR cancer OR cancers OR carcinom* OR malignant growth OR adenocarcinom*):ti,ab,kw
OR "Neoplasms"[Mesh] OR "Carcinoma"[Mesh]
with Cochrane Library publication date from Jan 1999 to Dec 2020, in Cochrane Reviews

Please describe the parameters of the search (eg time limits, excluded sources, country/language) and the rationale for any limitations

No time restrictions were used. Search was limited to English and German published clinical guidelines.

Names of individuals who undertook the evidence checking

André Mihaljevic, Rosa Klotz, Magdalena Holze, Colette Doerr-Harim, Eva Kalkum

On what date was the question verification process completed?

April 13th 2021

Any other relevant information
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