NCCN introduces new global resource to improve thyroid cancer care in low- and middle-income countries

Reviewed by Megan Craig, M.Sc.Jun 14 2023

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) is introducing a new global resource to improve thyroid cancer care in low- and middle-income countries at the upcoming World Congress on Thyroid Cancer, in London. During the event, NCCN Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Wui-Jin Koh, MD, will present on NCCN's ongoing global work to define and advance high-quality, high-value, patient-centered cancer care. As part of that work, the non-profit alliance of leading cancer centers recently published the new NCCN Framework for Resource Stratification of NCCN Guidelines (NCCN Framework^™) for Thyroid Carcinoma, available free-of-charge at NCCN.org/global. The new resource will debut in front of more than 1,000 cancer care providers from across the globe on June 17, 2023.

NCCN Framework™ exists for numerous cancer types-;covering more than 80 percent of cancer diagnoses-;plus supportive care topics such as pain management, palliative care, and breast cancer prevention and detection. The NCCN Framework™ for Thyroid Carcinoma is the first new cancer type to be added to this library in recent years. More than 500,000 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer worldwide every year.¹ The NCCN Framework™ for Thyroid Carcinoma provides guidance on the optimal treatment approach for differentiated thyroid cancers in resource-constrained settings.

The NCCN Framework establishes a realistic baseline of care tailored to various resource levels. It also showcases which future investments could be most effective. These tools represent NCCN's longstanding commitment to improving equity and outcomes for people with cancer, no matter where they live. More than 800,000 registered users outside the United States rely on the NCCN Guidelines to provide the latest evidence-based expert consensus cancer treatment recommendations. We want to make sure we're providing accessible advice which improves outcomes for everyone."

Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN

"The state-of-the-art NCCN Guidelines are widely used and respected worldwide-;but the full recommendations aren't always feasible in lower resource settings," said World Congress on Thyroid President Gregory W. Randolph, MD, FACS, FACE, FEBS (Endocrine), MAMSE, Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Claire and John Bertucci Endowed Chair in Thyroid Surgical Oncology, Harvard Medical School. "The World Congress on Thyroid Cancer brings together hundreds of care providers from all around the world. This year, instead of just talking about the inapplicability of guidelines intended for high-resource environments, we're introducing a solution… the new NCCN Framework for Thyroid Carcinoma. We feel this represents a global solution to thyroid cancer guidelines. The World Congress on Thyroid Cancer has forged a relationship that has been so gratifying and positive we're committed to keep working with NCCN going forward."

The NCCN Framework™ stratify the gold-standard recommendations from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) into 3 different resource levels (Basic, Core and Enhanced). The recommendations at each level are color-coded so that the resource stratified recommendations can be viewed within the context of the NCCN Guidelines^®. The NCCN Framework™ resources are defined as follows:

• Basic resources-;Essential services needed to provide basic minimal standard of care.

• Core resources-;Includes services provided in the Framework for Basic Resources plus additional services that provide major improvements in disease outcomes (e.g. survival) that are not cost-prohibitive.

• Enhanced resources-;Services provided in the Framework for Core Resources and additional services that provide lesser improvements in disease outcomes and/or services that provide major improvements in disease outcomes but are cost-prohibitive in lower resource settings.

Robert I. Haddad, MD, Division Chief, Center for Head and Neck Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, is the Chair of the multi-disciplinary panel of experts from across NCCN's Member Institutions responsible for updating and maintaining the NCCN Guidelines for Thyroid Carcinoma. He also took a lead role in creating the NCCN Framework™ for Thyroid Carcinoma and will join Dr. Koh at the World Congress to present this new resource.

"We analyze all of the available evidence and review it with our colleagues and fellow panel members at least once a year, and sometimes more often, to make sure the NCCN Guidelines reflect the very latest research and best practices," said Dr. Haddad. "In the process of developing this NCCN Framework, we worked with the World Congress on Thyroid Cancer to solicit feedback from all over the world. We really appreciate everyone's efforts helping us set standards for optimally tailoring resource-stratified recommendations to maximally benefit all people with thyroid cancer globally."