Is Your Cancer Treatment Guideline recommended?
Cancer Treatment Guideline allow doctors to give their patients high quality cancer care and treatment options. Experts at leading cancer centres form protocols and suggested treatment plans so doctors all around the world can follow them. These guidelines are available for anyone to view for free.
What is a cancer treatment guideline?
Cancer treatment guidelines or simply cancer guidelines are developed by a consensus of experts who determine the most effective way to treat a particular cancer type (for example: non-small cell lung cancer or breast cancer). Put simply, a guideline advises a doctor what tests to order and how to treat the patient based on the testing results. Most guidelines account for treatment failures and use a laddered approach; if the first treatment fails, go for the second treatment, and the third, etc.
Which cancer treatment guidelines are popular?
There are many guidelines created all around the world. Some guidelines are frequently updated, others less so. Popular guidelines include NCCN, ASCO, ESMO, and St. Gallens. In India, the NCCN guidelines is amongst the most popular.
Are there cancer treatment guidelines for all cancer types?
No. Guidelines exist for the most common cancer types but for certain cancer types, especially rare cancers, guidelines are sparse or unavailable. For these cancer types, if testing is required, we recommend PositiveSelect Ultimate, PositiveSelect Plus.
Do cancer treatment guidelines recommend testing?
Absolutely. For example, non-small cell lung cancer NCCN guidelines recommend 9 genes for testing. Colorectal cancer NCCN guidelines recommend 7 genes for testing. Breast cancer guidelines recommendations include BRCA testing and EndoPredict. Prostate cancer guidelines include Prolaris.
Will my doctor always follow a cancer guideline?
A guideline serves as a treatment guide; your doctor may or may not follow it. Guidelines are not all encompassing and does not account for every scenario. Before starting your treatment, we suggest speaking to your doctor about your treatment plan and doing your own research by selecting a guideline and mapping out the treatment. It’s advisable to learn what testing and treatments are available for your cancer type(s) from guidelines and for discussion with your doctor.
If you have been recently diagnosed with cancer, or have a family history or want to know more about cancer, risk factors, cancer symptoms, detect cancer early, cancer treatments, cancer tests or anything related to cancer, please write to info@positivebioscience.com
Photo credit: PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images
