International Web-Based Consultation on Priorities for Translational Breast Cancer Research

For which topic were research priorities identified?

translational breast cancer

In which location was the research priority setting conducted?

international

Why was it conducted at all?

Large numbers of translational breast cancer research topics have been completed or are underway, but they differ widely in their immediate and/or future importance to clinical management.

What was the objective?

to identify the topics most widely considered to be of highest priority

What was the outcome?

a ranking list of 10 research topics

How long did the research prioritization take?

October 2016 - March 2017

Which methods were used to identify research priorities?

survey

How were the priorities for research identified exactly?

Step 1: survey 1: participants were asked for priority research topics, 419 topics submitted. Step 2: data cleaning: duplicates and topics that were not of a translational research nature removed, list of 139 topics, further reduced to 70 topics. Step 2: survey 2: participants were asked to choose and rank top 6 topics

Which stakeholders took part?

Clinicians, academics, research scientists, and pathologists. Survey 2: 420 participants.

How were stakeholders recruited?

A primary target database of more than 4,000 potential participants was developed by consolidation of the contact e-mail addresses of registrants at the 2005 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and the 2005 St Gallen Consensus Meeting on Primary Therapy of Early Breast Cancer. An e-mail was sent to members on the database inviting them (and any of their colleagues) to register on the website and contribute their own priorities for research with a view to voting later on a consolidated list.

Were stakeholders actively involved or did they just participate?

Stakeholders not only participated but were also actively involved in the research prioritization process: They were part of a steering group. The steering group consisted of 6 members. The members were involved in data processing.