Clinical guidelines

The national guidelines provide an overview of the good clinical practice for each indication and covers a broad range of topics such as screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. These guidelines are developed by a panel of experts comprising clinicians of different specialties and designated by their respective scientific societies. The guidelines are based on the best evidence available at the time they are formulated. The aim of these guidelines is to assist all national care providers involved in the care of cancer patients and serve as a base and supporting tool for the local institutional guidelines and MOC (Multidisciplinary Oncological Consult) discussions in Belgium. This national guideline will be regularly updated as new evidence with practice implications emerges.

The Belgian guidelines are obtained through the adaptation of (inter)national guidelines in the Belgian context using the methodology of the ADAPTE Group in three phases:

1. Introduction: Summary of the tasks to be completed before the start of the adaptation phase.
2. Adaptation: Identification of the issues specific to the Belgian context and of the existing guidelines (national and international, evaluation of the consistency of the data contained in the guidelines, discussion and decision-making on the aspects to be adapted to meet the Belgian context and the preparation of a draft guideline.
3. Completion: Assembling comments made by stakeholders affected by the guideline, consultation with the managers of the adaptation phase, revision of the guideline and creation of a final document.