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# Recommendation Strength Guide
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## GRADE Framework for Clinical Recommendations
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### Components of a Recommendation
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Every clinical recommendation should address:
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1. **Population**: Who should receive the intervention?
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2. **Intervention**: What specific treatment/action?
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3. **Comparator**: Compared to what alternative?
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4. **Outcome**: What are the expected results?
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5. **Strength**: How strong is the recommendation?
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6. **Quality of Evidence**: How confident are we in the evidence?
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### Recommendation Strength (Grade 1 vs Grade 2)
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#### Strong Recommendation (Grade 1)
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**When to Use**:
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- Desirable effects clearly outweigh undesirable effects (or vice versa)
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- High or moderate quality evidence
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- Values and preferences: Little variability expected
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- Resource implications: Cost-effective or cost considerations minor
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**Wording**: "We recommend..." or "Clinicians should..."
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**Implications**:
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- Most patients should receive the recommended intervention
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- Adherence to recommendation could be a quality indicator
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- Policy-makers can adapt as performance measure
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**Examples**:
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```
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STRONG RECOMMENDATION FOR (Grade 1):
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"We recommend osimertinib 80 mg daily as first-line therapy for adults with
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advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR exon 19 deletion or L858R mutation (Strong
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recommendation, High-quality evidence - GRADE 1A)."
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Rationale:
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- Large PFS benefit: 18.9 vs 10.2 months (HR 0.46, p<0.001)
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- OS benefit: 38.6 vs 31.8 months (HR 0.80, p=0.046)
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- Better tolerability: Lower grade 3-4 AEs
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- Evidence: High-quality (large RCT, low risk of bias)
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- Benefits clearly outweigh harms
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```
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```
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STRONG RECOMMENDATION AGAINST (Grade 1):
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"We recommend against using bevacizumab in the first-line treatment of newly
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diagnosed glioblastoma to improve overall survival (Strong recommendation against,
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High-quality evidence - GRADE 1A)."
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Rationale:
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- No OS benefit: HR 0.88 (0.76-1.02), p=0.10 (AVAglio trial)
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- Toxicity: Increased grade ≥3 AEs (66% vs 52%)
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- Evidence: High-quality (two large phase 3 RCTs)
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- Harms outweigh lack of survival benefit
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```
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#### Conditional/Weak Recommendation (Grade 2)
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**When to Use**:
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- Desirable and undesirable effects closely balanced
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- Low or very low quality evidence
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- Values and preferences: Substantial variability
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- Resource implications: High cost or limited access
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**Wording**: "We suggest..." or "Clinicians might..."
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**Implications**:
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- Different choices will be appropriate for different patients
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- Shared decision-making essential
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- Policy-making requires substantial debate and stakeholder involvement
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**Examples**:
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```
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CONDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION FOR (Grade 2):
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"We suggest considering maintenance pemetrexed after first-line platinum-pemetrexed
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chemotherapy for advanced non-squamous NSCLC in patients without disease progression
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(Conditional recommendation, Moderate-quality evidence - GRADE 2B)."
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Rationale:
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- Modest PFS benefit: 4.0 vs 2.0 months (HR 0.62)
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- No OS benefit: 13.9 vs 11.0 months (HR 0.79, p=0.23)
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- Toxicity: Continued chemotherapy burden
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- Quality of life: Trade-off between symptom control and treatment side effects
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- Patient values: Some prioritize time off treatment, others prioritize disease control
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- Shared decision-making essential
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```
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```
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CONDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION - EITHER OPTION ACCEPTABLE (Grade 2):
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"We suggest either pembrolizumab monotherapy OR pembrolizumab plus platinum-doublet
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chemotherapy as first-line treatment for PD-L1 ≥50% NSCLC, based on patient
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preferences and clinical factors (Conditional recommendation, High-quality evidence -
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GRADE 2A)."
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Rationale:
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- Both regimens NCCN Category 1 preferred
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- Monotherapy: Less toxicity, oral vs IV, better quality of life
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- Combination: Higher ORR (48% vs 39%), numerically longer PFS
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- OS: Similar between strategies
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- Patient values: Varies widely (tolerability vs response rate priority)
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```
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### Evidence Quality (⊕⊕⊕⊕ to ⊕○○○)
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#### High Quality (⊕⊕⊕⊕)
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- Further research very unlikely to change confidence in effect estimate
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- Consistent results from well-designed RCTs
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- No serious limitations
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- Direct evidence (target population, intervention, outcomes)
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- Precise estimate (narrow CI)
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**Example**: FLAURA trial for osimertinib in EGFR+ NSCLC - Large RCT, consistent results, low risk of bias, direct outcomes
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#### Moderate Quality (⊕⊕⊕○)
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- Further research likely to impact confidence and may change estimate
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- RCTs with some limitations OR very strong evidence from observational studies
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- Some inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, or publication bias
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**Example**: Single RCT with some limitations, or multiple RCTs with moderate heterogeneity
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#### Low Quality (⊕⊕○○)
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- Further research very likely to have important impact on confidence in estimate
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- Observational studies OR RCTs with serious limitations
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- Serious issues with consistency, directness, precision, or bias
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**Example**: Well-conducted cohort study, or RCT with high attrition and unclear allocation concealment
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#### Very Low Quality (⊕○○○)
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- Estimate of effect very uncertain
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- Case series, expert opinion, mechanistic reasoning
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- Very serious limitations
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**Example**: Retrospective case series, expert consensus without systematic review
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## Combining Strength and Quality
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### All Nine Possible Combinations
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| Evidence Quality | Strong For (↑↑) | Weak For (↑) | Strong Against (↓↓) | Weak Against (↓) |
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|-----------------|----------------|--------------|---------------------|------------------|
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| **High (⊕⊕⊕⊕)** | Grade 1A | Grade 2A | Grade 1A (against) | Grade 2A (against) |
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| **Moderate (⊕⊕⊕○)** | Grade 1B | Grade 2B | Grade 1B (against) | Grade 2B (against) |
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| **Low (⊕⊕○○)** | Grade 1C* | Grade 2C | Grade 1C (against)* | Grade 2C (against) |
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| **Very Low (⊕○○○)** | Grade 1D* | Grade 2D | Grade 1D (against)* | Grade 2D (against) |
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*Rare: Strong recommendations usually require at least moderate-quality evidence
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### Unusual Combinations (When They Occur)
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**Strong Recommendation with Low Quality Evidence (Grade 1C)**
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Rare, but can occur when:
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- Large magnitude of effect from observational data (RR >5 or <0.2)
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- Low quality evidence, but clear benefit-harm balance
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- Example: Anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (before RCTs, strong observational data)
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**Weak Recommendation with High Quality Evidence (Grade 2A)**
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Occurs when:
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- Benefits and harms closely balanced
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- Patient values highly variable
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- Example: Aspirin for primary prevention in low-risk individuals (benefits small, bleeding risk present, patient values vary)
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## Wording Templates
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### Strong Recommendations
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**FOR (↑↑)**:
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- "We recommend [intervention] for [population]."
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- "Clinicians should [action]."
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- "[Intervention] is recommended."
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**AGAINST (↓↓)**:
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- "We recommend against [intervention] for [population]."
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- "Clinicians should not [action]."
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- "[Intervention] is not recommended."
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### Conditional/Weak Recommendations
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**FOR (↑)**:
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- "We suggest [intervention] for [population]."
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- "Clinicians might consider [action]."
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- "[Intervention] may be considered for selected patients."
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**AGAINST (↓)**:
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- "We suggest not using [intervention] for [population]."
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- "Clinicians might avoid [action]."
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- "[Intervention] is generally not recommended."
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**EITHER ACCEPTABLE**:
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- "We suggest either [option A] or [option B] based on patient preferences."
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- "Either approach is reasonable."
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## Color Coding for Visual Documents
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**Strong Recommendations (Green Background)**:
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- RGB(0, 153, 76) or #009954
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- Clear visual priority
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- Use for Grade 1A, 1B
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**Conditional Recommendations (Yellow Background)**:
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- RGB(255, 193, 7) or #FFC107
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- Indicates discussion needed
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- Use for Grade 2A, 2B, 2C
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**Research/Investigational (Blue Background)**:
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- RGB(33, 150, 243) or #2196F3
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- Clinical trial consideration
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- Insufficient evidence for standard care
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**Not Recommended (Red Border/Background)**:
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- RGB(220, 20, 60) or #DC143C
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- Strong recommendation against
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- Evidence of harm or no benefit
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## Common Scenarios
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### Scenario 1: Strong Evidence, Clear Benefit-Harm Balance
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**Example**: Pembrolizumab for PD-L1 ≥50% NSCLC
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- Evidence: Large phase 3 RCT (KEYNOTE-024), n=305, well-designed
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- Results: PFS HR 0.50 (0.37-0.68), OS HR 0.60 (0.41-0.89)
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- Toxicity: Lower grade 3-5 AEs than chemotherapy (27% vs 53%)
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- Patient values: Most prioritize efficacy and tolerability
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**Recommendation**: STRONG FOR (Grade 1A)
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### Scenario 2: Moderate Evidence, Balanced Trade-Offs
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**Example**: Adjuvant immunotherapy for resected melanoma
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- Evidence: RCT showing relapse-free survival benefit, OS data immature
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- Results: Recurrence risk reduced but ongoing toxicity
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- Toxicity: Immune-related AEs requiring steroids (some severe)
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- Cost: High annual cost for 12 months treatment
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- Patient values: Variable (some prioritize recurrence prevention, others avoid toxicity)
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**Recommendation**: CONDITIONAL FOR (Grade 2B)
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### Scenario 3: Low Evidence, but Severe Consequence
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**Example**: Anticoagulation for prosthetic heart valve
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- Evidence: No RCTs (would be unethical), observational data and mechanistic reasoning
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- Consequence: Very high thromboembolic risk without anticoagulation
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- Benefit-harm: Clear despite low quality evidence
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**Recommendation**: STRONG FOR (Grade 1C)
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### Scenario 4: High Evidence, but Patient Preferences Vary
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**Example**: Breast reconstruction after mastectomy
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- Evidence: High-quality data on outcomes and satisfaction
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- Trade-offs: Cosmetic benefit vs additional surgery, recovery time
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- Values: Highly personal decision, wide preference variability
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**Recommendation**: CONDITIONAL (Grade 2A) - discuss options, patient decides
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## Documentation Template
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```
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RECOMMENDATION: [State recommendation clearly]
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Strength: [STRONG / CONDITIONAL]
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Quality of Evidence: [HIGH / MODERATE / LOW / VERY LOW]
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GRADE: [1A / 1B / 2A / 2B / 2C]
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Evidence Summary:
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- Primary study: [Citation]
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- Design: [RCT / Observational / Meta-analysis]
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- Sample size: n = [X]
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- Results: [Primary outcome with effect size, CI, p-value]
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- Quality assessment: [Strengths and limitations]
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Benefits:
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- [Quantified benefit 1]
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- [Quantified benefit 2]
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Harms:
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- [Quantified harm 1]
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- [Quantified harm 2]
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Balance: [Benefits clearly outweigh harms / Close balance requiring discussion / etc.]
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Values and Preferences: [Little variability / Substantial variability]
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Cost Considerations: [If relevant]
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Guideline Concordance:
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- NCCN: [Category and recommendation]
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- ASCO: [Recommendation]
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- ESMO: [Grade and recommendation]
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```
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## Quality Checklist
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Before finalizing recommendations, verify:
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- [ ] Recommendation statement is clear and actionable
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- [ ] Strength is explicitly stated (strong vs conditional)
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- [ ] Quality of evidence is graded (high/moderate/low/very low)
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- [ ] GRADE notation provided (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C)
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- [ ] Evidence is cited with specific study results
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- [ ] Benefits are quantified (effect sizes with CIs)
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- [ ] Harms are quantified (AE rates)
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- [ ] Balance of benefits/harms is explained
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- [ ] Patient values consideration is addressed (if conditional)
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- [ ] Alternative options are mentioned
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- [ ] Guideline concordance is documented
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- [ ] Special populations are addressed (elderly, renal/hepatic impairment)
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- [ ] Monitoring requirements are specified
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