RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Top 10 research priorities for early-stage colorectal cancer: a Canadian patient-oriented priority-setting partnership
JF CMAJ Open
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP E278
OP E287
DO 10.9778/cmajo.20210046
VO 10
IS 1
A1 Colleen Cuthbert
A1 Nancy Nixon
A1 Michael Vickers
A1 Setareh Samimi
A1 Krista Rawson
A1 Ravi Ramjeesingh
A1 Safiya Karim
A1 Barry Stein
A1 Garry Laxdal
A1 Lorilee Dundas
A1 Diane Huband
A1 Emily Daze
A1 Christie Farrer
A1 Winson Y. Cheung
YR 2022
UL http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/10/1/E278.abstract
AB Background: Colorectal cancer, one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers, is now being detected earlier and treatments are improving, which means that patients are living longer. Partnering with Canadian clinicians, patients and researchers, we aimed to determine research priorities for those living with early-stage colorectal cancer in Canada.Methods: We followed the well-established priority-setting partnership outlined by the James Lind Alliance to identify and prioritize unanswered questions about early-stage (i.e., stages I–III) colorectal cancer. The study was conducted from September 2018 to September 2020. We surveyed patients, caregivers and clinicians from across Canada between June 2019 and December 2019. We categorized the responses using thematic analysis to generate a list of unique questions. We conducted an interim prioritization survey from April 2020 to July 2020, with patients, caregivers and clinicians, to determine a shorter list of questions, which was then reviewed at a final meeting (involving patients, caregivers and clinicians) in September 2020. At that meeting, we used a consensus-based process to determine the top 10 priorities.Results: For the initial survey, 370 responses were submitted by 185 individuals; of the 98 individuals who provided demographic information, 44 (45%) were patients, 16 (16%) were caregivers, 7 (7%) were members of an advocacy group, 26 (27%) were health care professionals and 5 (5%) were categorized as “other.” The responses were refined to create a list of 66 unique unanswered questions. Twenty-five respondents answered the interim prioritization survey: 13 patients (52%), 2 caregivers (8%), 3 advocacy group members (12%) and 7 health care professionals (28%). This led to a list of the top 30 questions. The final consensus meeting involved 20 individuals (10 patients [50%], 3 caregivers [15%] and 7 health care professionals [35%]), who agreed to the top 10 research priorities. The priorities covered a range of topics, including screening, treatment, recurrence, management of adverse effects and decision-making.Interpretation: We determined the top research priorities for early-stage colorectal cancer using a collaborative partnership of stake-holders from across Canada. The priorities covered a broad range of topics that could be addressed by future research, including improved screening practices, the role of personalized medicine, the management of adverse effects of treatment, decision-making and prevention of recurrence.