Committee for the Evolution of Oncology Practices

Mandate

The Oncology Practice Review Committee, (Comité d’évaluation des pratiques en oncologie, CEPO), is a permanent INESSS Advisory Committee, under the responsibility of the Direction de l'évaluation et de la pertinence des modes d'intervention en santé (DEP). The committee's mandate is to accompany the INESSS's work on cancer projects in order to ensure the scientific credibility, clinical pertinence, and professional and social acceptability of the products by providing the perspectives and knowledge essential to the work. It provides feedback at various stages of projects and contributes to the development of preliminary guidelines for the permanent deliberative committee (PDC) involved in the subject of the assessment (i.e., PDC - health intervention methods, PDC - diagnostic approaches and screening, PDC - reimbursement and access).

The CEPO relies on the best available scientific data as well as on the expertise and experience of its members to support the optimization and standardization of Quebec's clinical practice in oncology and thus offer better care to suspected or actual cancer patients across the province. In close collaboration with the scientific teams of the INESSS, it supports the development and adoption of knowledge transfer products such as investigation, treatment, and follow-up oncology algorithms.

More specifically, the CEPO supports the scientific activities of the INESSS by:

• commenting on the relevance and prioritization of assessment and development files
• commenting on the assessment questions and the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the literature search under consideration
• contributing to the analysis and assessment of scientific evidence by commenting on the INESSS literature review, providing contextual and experiential information related to the subject of assessment and identifying barriers and facilitators to the provision of care and services
• contributing to the formulation of guidelines for the deliberative committees
• actively participating in the development of knowledge transfer tools, including algorithms for the investigation, treatment (radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, etc.), and cancer follow-up
• contributing to the distribution development strategies for the products and tools developed.

As such, the CEPO may be called upon to contribute to oncology assessment work regarding clinical practices, intervention methods, the organization of care and services, innovative technologies, etc.

In addition to its mandate under the INESSS, the CEPO fulfills a mandate with the Direction générale adjointe du Programme québécois de cancérologie (DGAPQC) of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS). CEPO members act as external readers in the development of administration guides for the various drugs used in oncology, advice sheets for patients, and pre-formatted prescriptions, in consultation with the MSSS DGAPQC's National Committee for the Development of Pharmaceutical Care Practices.

The committee is renewed gradually and continuously. The term of office for a new member is 4 years. At the end of the term, the mandate can be renewed once.

Committee structure

The committee is composed of 12 to 15 regular members. It is composed of hematologists and medical oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, pharmacists, nurses, and managers. This composition enables the various perspectives required to fulfill the committee's mandate to be represented and will be reassessed in order to meet the needs and challenges of the INESSS's work.