Currently, evidence-based guidelines do not exist with respect to prevention, screening, diagnosis, management, and palliation of lung cancer in India, despite the fact that lung cancer is one of the commonest cancers in India accounting for 10% of total cancer deaths in the country.
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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), understanding this gap, is now all set to launch a systematic review and meta-analyses which, it notes, will play a crucial role in synthesising existing evidence to inform decision-making in the management of lung cancer to guide clinical practice and improve patient outcomes.
The Council has launched an expression of interest (EoI) from researchers who are interested in conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
“Prospective applicants will be tasked to conduct systematic reviews/meta-analysis pertaining to the identified review questions (PICOs) and assessing the quality of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool,’’ the ICMR said, adding that the process of generating such evidence would entail the compilation of systematic reviews from the existing literature, focusing on well-defined review questions.
Grading methodology
“Additionally, the evidence derived from these systematic reviews and meta-analyses will be systematically assessed for its strength utilising the GRADE. This grading methodology will serve to evaluate the quality of evidence, which will subsequently inform the formulation of recommendations following the application of the Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework,’’ noted the ICMR.
The Council also said that depending on the scope of the review, a team might be assigned more than one review question, including prevention, screening, diagnosis etc.
According to the World Health Organisation, lung cancer is a significant public health concern, causing a considerable number of deaths globally. Smoking tobacco (including cigarettes, cigars, and pipes) is the primary risk factor for lung cancer, but it can also affect non-smokers. Other risk factors include exposure to second-hand smoke, occupational hazards (such as asbestos, radon and certain chemicals), air pollution, hereditary cancer syndromes, and previous chronic lung diseases.
