A new issue of ESMO's scientific journal, Annals of Oncology, is now available. This informative, new supplement contains 35 of the most up-to-date Minimum Clinical Recommendations and is an excellent source of useful information.
ESMO Minimum Clinical Recommendations: May 2005; Vol. 16, Supplement No. 1 can be pre-viewed at: http://annonc.oupjournals.org/content/vol16/suppl_1/index.shtml?etoc.
Each of the recommendations provides vital, evidence-based information for physicians, including the incidence of the malignancy, diagnostic criteria, staging of disease and risk assessment, treatment plans and follow-up.
The recommendations are intended to provide the user with a set of requirements for a basic standard of care that ESMO would consider necessary in all countries of Europe.
They are not designed to replace extensive clinical practice guidelines or review articles, but to describe minimum common standards. Considering the rapid changes in the field of medical oncology, each guideline undergoes a yearly update.
"The Minimum Clinical Guidelines are an important expression of ESMO's mission to disseminate knowledge, in order to maintain a high common standard in medical practice for cancer patients," says Professor Rolf A. Stahel, chair of ESMO Guidelines Task Force.
"Firstly, the guidelines are a tool for clinicians to help them offer the best care to their patients on a daily basis. They also help support negotiations with politicians, administrators, and insurance companies regarding what level of care should be made available. Clinical practice guidelines are important for the future development of medical oncology as a specialty and serve to achieve a high common standard of care for patients with cancer in Europe."
Notes to Editors
About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
ESMO is Europe's leading professional society providing education and clinical guidelines for medical oncologists and other healthcare professionals, working to ensure optimal care for cancer patients. Since its inception in 1975 ESMO, currently with nearly 4,500 members throughout Europe and the world, has consistently promoted its belief that every cancer patient is entitled to the best possible treatment available. The use of medicine is now a fundamental aspect of cancer therapy and, consequently, cancer patients need to be treated by qualified medical oncologists.
Through its flagship scientific journal, Annals of Oncology, ESMO publishes research results on all aspects of clinical oncology. Donations to the ESMO Foundation support ESMO activities as well as cancer research. More information about the Society is available at: http://www.esmo.org
Members of the ESMO Guidelines Task Force
Rolf A. Stahel (Switzerland) – Chairman
Lorenz M. Jost (Switzerland) – Scientific Coordinator
Maria Cristina Reinhart (Switzerland) Guidelines Task Force Coordinator
Jonas Bergh (Sweden)
Richard Greil (Austria)
Jørn Herrstedt (Denmark)
Svetislav Jelic (Serbia and Montenegro)
Vesa V. Kataja (Finland)
João Oliveira (Portugal)
Nicholas Pavlidis (Greece)