Guideline 67 Section 14: Development of the guideline

Management of colorectal cancer
Section 14: Development of the guideline

14.1 Introduction

SIGN is a collaborative network of clinicians, other health care professionals, and patient organisations, funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department. SIGN guidelines are developed by multidisciplinary groups of practising clinicians using a standard methodology based on a systematic review of the evidence. Further details about SIGN and the guideline development methodology are contained in “SIGN 50: A guideline developer’s handbook”, available at www.sign.ac.uk

14.2 The guideline development group

Professor Robert Steele	Professor of Surgical Oncology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee (Chairman)
Mr John Anderson	Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Dr David Brewster	Director of Cancer Registration in Scotland, Information & Statistics Division
Professor Frank Carey	Consultant Pathologist, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Mr Andrew Denholm	Patient Representative, Inverness
Dr Simon Dover	Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist, Gartnavel Hospital, Glasgow
Dr John Drummond	General Practitioner, Ayrshire
Dr Ewan Forrest	Consultant Gastroenterologist, Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow
Dr David Goudie	Geneticist, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Dr Tim Habeshaw	Consultant in Clinical Oncology, Beatson Oncology Centre, Glasgow
Dr Duncan Jodrell	Reader in Oncology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Ms Gillian Knowles	Clinical Nurse Specialist, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Ms Amy Leslie	Surgical Research Fellow, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Dr Pamela Levack	MacMillan Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Ninewells Hospital & Roxburghe House, Dundee.
Professor Julian Little	Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen
Ms Jill Macintyre	Principal Pharmacist in Oncology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Dr James MacKenzie	General Practitioner, Glasgow
Mrs Grace MacLeod	Cancer BACUP, Glasgow
Professor Alastair Munro	Consultant Oncologist, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Dr Moray Nairn	Programme Manager, SIGN
Dr Mary Porteous	Consultant Clinical Geneticist, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Dr Vicky Save	Lecturer in Pathology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Mr Duncan Service	Information Services Officer, SIGN
Mrs Sandra Teo	Patient representative, Biggar
Ms Joanne Topalian	Programme Manager, SIGN
Dr Ramsay Vallance	Consultant Radiologist, Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow

The membership of the guideline development group was confirmed following consultation with the member organisations of SIGN. Declarations of interests were made by all members of the guideline development group. Further details are available from the SIGN Executive.

14.3 Systematic literature review

The evidence base for this guideline was synthesised in accordance with SIGN methodology. A systematic review of the literature was carried out using an explicit search strategy devised by the SIGN Information Officer in collaboration with members of the guideline development group. The search for systematic reviews and meta-analyses covered the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and HEALTHSTAR databases, and the internet, from January 1990 to January 2001. The search for randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case control studies, and cross-sectional surveys covered the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, CANCERLIT and CINAHL databases, and the internet, from January 1993 to January 2001. The evidence base was updated during the course of development of the guideline, and the search was supplemented by reviewing references identified from papers from the searches and from personal databases of the guideline development group members. The MEDLINE version of the search strategies used can be viewed on the SIGN website.

14.4 Consultation and peer review

14.4.1 NATIONAL OPEN MEETING

A national open meeting is the main consultative phase of SIGN guideline development, at which the guideline development group present their draft recommendations for the first time. The national open meeting for this guideline was held on 9 October 2001 and was attended by around 250 representatives of all the key specialties relevant to the guideline. The draft guideline was also available on the SIGN web site for a limited period at this stage to allow those unable to attend the meeting to contribute to the development of the guideline.

14.4.2 SPECIALIST REVIEW

The guideline was also reviewed in draft form by a panel of independent expert referees, who were asked to comment primarily on the comprehensiveness and accuracy of interpretation of the evidence base supporting the recommendations in the guideline. SIGN is very grateful to all of these experts for their contribution to this guideline.

Professor Clive Bartram	Consultant Gastrointestinal Radiologist, Harrow
Mr Ian Finlay	Consultant in General Surgery, Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Professor Neva Haites	Professor of Medical Genetics, Aberdeen
Ms Cathy Hutchison	Consultant Nurse: Cancer, Glasgow
Professor Zygmunt Krukowski	Consultant in General Surgery, Aberdeen
Dr Catriona McLean	Senior Registrar: Radiotherapy, Edinburgh
Dr Allan Merry	General Practitioner, Ardrossan
Mr Patrick O’Kelly	Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Dr Fat Wui Poon	Consultant Gastrointestinal Radiologist, Glasgow
Dr Leslie Samuel	Consultant in Clinical Oncology, Aberdeen

14.4.3 SIGN EDITORIAL GROUP

As a final quality control check, the guideline is reviewed by an Editorial Group comprising the relevant specialty representatives on SIGN Council to ensure that the peer reviewers’ comments have been addressed adequately and that any risk of bias in the guideline development process as a whole has been minimised. The Editorial Group for this guideline was as follows:

Dr Doreen Campbell	Clinical Resource and Audit Group
Professor Peter Donnelly	Academy of Medicine
Mr Douglas Harper	Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
Professor Gordon Lowe	Chairman of SIGN
Dr Grahame Howard	Royal College of Radiologists, Faculty of Oncology
Ms Hilary Hood	Allied Health Professional
Dr Safia Qureshi	Programme Director, SIGN
Dr Joanna Wardlaw	Royal College of Radiologists, Faculty of Radiology
Dr Peter Wimpenny	School of Nursing and Midwifery

Each member of the guideline development group then approved the final guideline for publication.