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The French Federation of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (FNCLCC) began cooperative work in 1993 in order to offer French speaking physicians the best recommendations for their daily practice according to current literature.

The methodology relies on the review and critical analysis of scientific data by a multidisciplinary group of experts. This is a mixed method combininscientific proof level and expert advice. The validation of recommendations is carried out by independent experts.

Recommendations are published in booklets and on the Federation’s website(http://www.fnclcc.fr).

Definitions

The definition of Standards, Options and Recommendations is accompanied by their scientific proof levels (best available evidence) from randomised trials, meta-analyses and other trials.

Standards: treatment with known results and unanimously considered as beneficial, inappropriate or detrimental for patients. They are more or less indications and contraindications.

Options: treatment with known results with a majority of experts considering them as beneficial, inappropriate or detrimental for patients. They are more or less relative indications or relative contraindications. They are always accompanied by recommendations.

Recommendations: when several options exist, they attempt to classify these options according to their proof levels. They allow the experts to express judgements or choices concerning special situations as well as inclusion of patients in therapeutic trials.

Patient Standards Options and Recommendations.

The necessity to explain to patients their disease and the best available treatment has driven the coordinators of SOR to write Standards for patients.

These standards are written in collaboration with patient groups, psychologists, nurses, sociologists and linguists. They try to explain, in simple terms, the main characteristics of each cancer and the major therapies that may be used.

These explanations can be found on the Federation’s. website (http://www.fnclcc.fr).

Other recommendations

Many other recommendations have been written and published on Internet.

The National Cancer Institute of the United States (with Cancer Topics and Physician Data Query) offers clear and documented recommendations. Other information about cancer treatment may be found on various websites.

For French speaking readers, the Fondation Française de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD) regularly publishes recommendations for the treatment of digestive cancers. The Association Française d'Urologie (AFU) also publishes recommendations for urological cancers.