Circulating Tumor Markers: A Guide to their Appropriate Clinical use: Comparative Summary of Recommendations from Clinical Practice Guidelines (PART 1)

Endorsed By

AGENAS National Agency for Regional Health Services, Rome, Italy

Regional Center for Biomarkers, Azienda ULSS 12 Veneziana, Venice, Italy

On behalf of and in Collaboration With

Regione del Veneto, IOV - Istituto Oncologico Veneto - I.R.C.C.S., AIOM (Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica), SIBioC - Medicina di Laboratorio (Società Italiana di Biochimica Clinica e Biologia Molecolare Clinica), AIRO (Associazione Italiana di Radioterapia Oncologica), ELAS-Italia (European Ligand Assay Society Italia), FADOI (Federazione delle Associazioni dei Dirigenti Ospedalieri Internisti), SICO (Società Italiana di Chirurgia Oncologica), SIGO (Società Italiana di Ginecologia e Ostetricia), SIMG (Società Italiana di Medicina Generale), SIUrO (Società Italiana di Urologia Oncologica), AVAPO Venezia Onlus (Associazione Volontari per l'Assistenza di Pazienti Oncologici)

Steering Committee

Mario Braga, Massimo Gion, Carmine Pinto, Bruno Rusticali, Holger Schünemann, Tommaso Trenti

For complete contributors’ affiliations see end of article (pp. e364-e367)

Scientific Committee

Aline S.C. Fabricio, Evaristo Maiello, Anne W.S. Rutjes, Valter Torri, Quinto Tozzi, Chiara Trevisiol

For complete contributors’ affiliations see end of article (pp. e364-e367)

Multidisciplinary Panel of Experts

Salvatore Alfieri⁽⁵⁾, Emiliano Aroasio^(3,5), Alessandro Bertaccini^(3,5), Francesco Boccardo^(3,5), Roberto Buzzoni^(3,5), Maurizio Cancian⁽⁵⁾, Ettore D. Capoluongo⁽⁵⁾, Elisabetta Cariani⁽⁵⁾, Vanna Chiarion Sileni^(3,5), Michela Cinquini^(1,3,5), Giuseppe Civardi⁽⁵⁾, Renzo Colombo^(3,5), Mario Correale^(3,5), Gaetano D'Ambrosio⁽⁵⁾, Bruno Daniele^(3,5), Marco Danova^(3,5), Giovanna Del Vecchio Blanco^(3,5), Francesca Di Fabio^(3,5), Massimo Di Maio^(3,5), Ruggero Dittadi^(3,5), Massimo Falconi^(3,5), Andrea Fandella^(3,5), Tommaso Fasano⁽⁵⁾, Simona Ferraro^(3,5), Antonio Fortunato^(3,5), Bruno Franco Novelletto⁽⁵⁾, Angiolo Gadducci^(3,5), Luca Germagnoli^(3,5), Maria Grazia Ghi^(3,5), Davide Giavarina^(3,5), Marién González Lorenzo^(2,5), Stefania Gori^(3,5), Fiorella Guadagni^(3,5), Cinzia Iotti^(3,5), Tiziana Latiano^(1,3,5), Lisa Licitra^(3,5), Tiziano Maggino⁽⁵⁾, Gianluca Masi⁽⁵⁾, Paolo Morandi^(3,5), Maria Teresa Muratore^(3,5), Gianmauro Numico⁽⁵⁾, Valentina Pecoraro^(2,5), Paola Pezzati^(3,5), Silvia Pregno⁽⁵⁾, Giulia Rainato⁽⁴⁾, Stefano Rapi^(3,5), Francesco Ricci^(3,5), Lorena Fabiola Rojas Llimpe^(3,5), Laura Roli^(1,5), Giovanni Rosti^(3,5), Tiziana Rubeca^(3,5), Giuseppina Ruggeri⁽⁵⁾, Gian Luca Salvagno⁽⁵⁾, Maria Teresa Sandri⁽⁵⁾, Giovanni Scambia^(3,5), Mario Scartozzi^(3,5), Vincenzo Scattoni^(3,5), Giuseppe Sica^(3,5), Alessandro Terreni^(3,5), Marcello Tiseo^(3,5), Paolo Zola⁽⁵⁾

For complete contributors’ affiliations see end of article (pp. e364-e367)

Contributions of Panel Members

1. (1)

   Search and selection of guidelines

2. (2)

   Appraisal of guidelines through the AGREE II tool

3. (3)

   Assessment of the rate of utilization of a subset of guidance documents in clinical practice

4. (4)

   Synthesis of recommendations and other information concerning tumor markers into summary tables

5. (5)

   Assessment of correctness and completeness of the information summarized in the tables

External Validation

Interregional Biomarkers Working Group, instituted by the Health Commission of the Italian Permanent Conference for Relations between State, Regions and the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano. Antonino Iaria (Calabria), Vincenzo Montesarchio (Campania), Tommaso Trenti (Emilia Romagna), Laura Conti (Lazio), Luigina Bonelli and Gabriella Paoli (Liguria), Mario Cassani (Lombardia), Lucia Di Furia (Marche), Emiliano C. Aroasio (Piemonte), Mario Brandi (Puglia), Marcello Ciaccio and Antonio Russo (Sicilia), Gianni Amunni (Toscana), Emanuela Toffalori (P.A. Trento), Basilio Ubaldo Passamonti (Umbria), Claudio Pilerci and Francesca Russo (Veneto), Annarosa Del Mistro (IOV IRCCS, Veneto)

Executive Secretary

Ornella Scattolin