Individual research recommendation details

Recommendation ID

NG99/4

Question

Managing glioma: early detection of recurrence after treatment:- Does early detection of recurrence after treatment improve overall survival/outcomes in
molecularly stratified glioma?

Any explanatory notes
(if applicable)

Why this is important:- Prognosis for brain tumours is inherently uncertain, and recent advances in treatment mean many people with a brain tumour will live for a long time after the initial diagnosis. For these individuals, follow-up is the longest component of their treatment and it is both expensive for the NHS and (sometimes) a burden for the person. There is no high-quality evidence that follow-up after treatment is beneficial, no high-quality evidence on the optimal frequency of imaging, and clinical
uncertainty about whether such follow-up is likely to alter outcomes of importance to people with tumours (such as overall life expectancy or quality of life).
Research is needed to establish at what point the value of identifying recurrence early is outweighed by the harms of increasing burden to patients.
To find out why the committee made the research recommendation on the early detection of recurrence after treatment, see rationale and impact.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance

Brain tumours (primary) and brain metastases in adults

Number

NG99

Date issued

July 2018

Other details