European Society of Gynaecological Oncology quality indicators for surgical treatment of cervical cancer

Abstract

BackgroundOptimizing and ensuring the quality of surgical care is essential to improve the management and outcome of patients with cervical cancer.To develop a list of quality indicators for surgical treatment of cervical cancer that can be used to audit and improve clinical practice.MethodsQuality indicators were developed using a four-step evaluation process that included a systematic literature search to identify potential quality indicators, in-person meetings of an ad hoc group of international experts, an internal validation process, and external review by a large panel of European clinicians and patient representatives.ResultsFifteen structural, process, and outcome indicators were selected. Using a structured format, each quality indicator has a description specifying what the indicator is measuring. Measurability specifications are also detailed to define how the indicator will be measured in practice. Each indicator has a target which gives practitioners and health administrators a quantitative basis for improving care and organizational processes.DiscussionImplementation of institutional quality assurance programs can improve quality of care, even in high-volume centers. This set of quality indicators from the European Society of Gynaecological Cancer may be a major instrument to improve the quality of surgical treatment of cervical cancer.

Risk Factors for Recurrence after Robot-Assisted Radical Hysterectomy for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

“…Based on these unexpected results and data of two further observational studies [14,15], in 2019 the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) established the open approach as the gold standard for radical hysterectomy [16] and recommended to reserve MIS for highly-specialized centers in gynecological surgery. In January 2020, ESGO also published quality indicators (QI) for the surgical treatment of cervical cancer [17] with the intention to audit and improve clinical practice in an easy and practicable way. Nevertheless, whether results of laparoscopic and robotic surgery can be superimposed remains a matter of debate.…”

“…The primary objective of this study was to assess the risk factors for recurrence in all women with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent robotic surgery in the departments of gynecology of all centers of the Iberian Peninsula (9 hospitals in Spain and 1 hospital in Portugal) in which da Vinci ® technology was available. The second primary objective was to audit the oncological and surgical results according to recommendations for cervical cancer surgery proposed by the ESGO [17]. The secondary objective was to validate the prognostic value of the 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system [22] in our series.…”

Report from the 21st meeting of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO 2019)

“…After a comprehensive literature search for the identification of potential quality indicators, the experts have evaluated the relevance and feasibility in clinical practice of each potential quality indicator. Professor David Cibula, Professor Francesco Raspagliesi, and Professor Karl Tamussino presented for the first time the quality indicators for surgical treatment of cervical cancer 4…”

Quality indicators in cervical cancer surgery: a valiant step in the right direction

“…To that end, the lead article for the January issue of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer,4 highlights the importance of providing guidance pertaining to optimization and quality improvement in surgical care. In this article published by the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO), the group developed quality indicators using a four-step process that included a systematic literature review, in-person meetings of international leading experts in cervical cancer, an internal validation process, and subsequently, an external review by a panel of clinicians in Europe, as well as patient representatives.…”