Acknowledgment: The authors thank Jesús López Alcalde who coordinated the JRC methods for the ECIBC guidelines between 2013 and 2016, Chris de Wolf, Roberto D’Amico, and Peter Rabe for their contributions to the ECIBC guidelines as previous Joint Research Centre colleagues or retired GDG members.
Financial Support: By the European Commission.
Disclosures: Members of the GDG do not receive financial compensation for their work but are reimbursed by the European Commission for travel-related expenses for the meetings organized by the Joint Research Centre. Dr. Schünemann reports that the European Commission had chosen to use GRADE as one of the core methods for its guidelines before involving Dr. Schünemann. He was invited to participate in the guideline development as a methodologist and was elected by the ECIBC GDG as its cochair. He is also cochair of the GRADE working group and has codeveloped its methodology and tools, was commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences to write the background reports for the Institute of Medicine standards for trustworthy guideline development with coauthors, has conducted Cochrane reviews (currently is director of Cochrane Canada), and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Guidelines International Network. He has not received direct financial payments for ECIBC work but has received travel support and is under contract from the European Commission for a project relating to other guideline methods. Dr. Quinn is the chair of the European Working Group for Breast Screening Pathology (EWGBSP). Various companies have provided some sponsorship to the EWGBSP for group meetings. Dr. Alonso-Coello reports that his institution received payments from the European Commission to develop the systematic reviews informing the recommendations. He coordinated the systematic review team informing the guidelines. He is a member of the GRADE guidance group of the GRADE working group and a member of the board of the Guidelines International Network. He has contributed to the development of some of the methodology and tools. Dr. Giorgi Rossi reports that he published opinions about the superiority of public, organized, population-based screening programs instead of opportunistic and private screening, according to the European Commission recommendations 2003/878/EC. He is on the steering committee of MyPeBS (My Personal Breast Screening), a European multicentric trial to compare the effectiveness of personalized screening programs and standard protocols, and of the RETomo and MAITA trials, comparing digital mammography and DBT in breast cancer screening. Dr. Lebeau reports grants and reimbursement for travel-related expenses related to consultancy from Roche Pharma and Novartis Oncology, and grants from BioNTech Diagnostics, outside the submitted work. Dr. Lebeau reports that she is chair of the Breast Pathology Working Group of the German S3 Guidelines for the Early Detection, Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-up of Breast Cancer; a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the Cooperation Alliance Mammography (Kooperationsgemeinschaft Mammographie GBR), Germany; a member of the certification commission “breast cancer centres” as a representative of the German Society of Pathology and the Federal Association of German Pathologists; and a board member of the German Society of Pathology. Dr. Hofvind reports permanent employment as a researcher at the Cancer Registry of Norway, independent of her job as administrative leader of BreastScreen Norway. Dr. Canelo-Aybar reports that his institution received payments from the European Commission to develop the systematic reviews informing the recommendations. He is a member of the GRADE Working Group. Dr. Sardanelli is responsible for the department of radiology performing mammographic screening at the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy. He is a member of the executive board of the European Society of Breast Imaging and codirector of the Breast MRI training course run by this society; director of the European Network for Assessment of Imaging in Medicine, joint initiative of the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research; editor-in-chief of European Radiology Experimental; and a recipient of research grants from Bracco, Bayer, and General Electric. Dr. Sardanelli is not a member of the GDG but did participate in formulating the recommendations. Dr. Parmelli is employed by the European Commission. Dr. Gräwingholt is head of the mammography screening center Paderborn, consultant radiologist for screening programs in Switzerland, and consultant radiologist for Hellenic School of Senology. Dr. Saz-Parkinson is employed by the European Commission, coordinating the ECIBC’s GDG. Authors not named here have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Disclosures can also be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum= M19-2125.
Editors’ Disclosures: Christine Laine, MD, MPH, Editor in Chief, reports that her spouse has stock options/holdings with Targeted Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, Executive Editor, reports that he has no financial relationships or interests to disclose. Cynthia D. Mulrow, MD, MSc, Senior Deputy Editor, reports that she has no relationships or interests to disclose. Jaya K. Rao, MD, MHS, Deputy Editor, reports that she has stock holdings/options in Eli Lilly and Pfizer. Catharine B. Stack, PhD, MS, Deputy Editor, Statistics, reports that she has stock holdings in Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Colgate-Palmolive. Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH, Deputy Editor, reports employment with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Sankey V. Williams, MD, Deputy Editor, reports that he has no financial relationships or interests to disclose. Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, MSCE, Deputy Editor, reports that he has no financial relationships or interest to disclose.
Corresponding Author: Holger J. Schünemann, MD, PhD, MSc, McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C16, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4K1, Canada (e-mail, [email protected]); and Zuleika Saz-Parkinson, PhD, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, TP 127, Ispra VA, 21027, Italy (e-mail, [email protected]).
Current Author Addresses: Dr. Schünemann: Michael G DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre and McMaster GRADE Centre, McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4K1, Canada.
Drs. Lerda, Parmelli, and Saz-Parkinson: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, Ispra VA, 21027, Italy.
Dr. Quinn: St. Vincent’s University Hospital, 96 Merrion Road, Elm Park, Dublin, D04 T6F4, Ireland.
Dr. Follmann: German Cancer Society, Kuno-fischer-straße 8, Berlin, 14057, Germany.
Drs. Alonso-Coello and Canelo-Aybar: Iberoamerican Cochrane Center, Biomedical Research Institute (IIB Sant Pau-CIBERESP), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, Barcelona, 8025, Spain.
Dr. Giorgi Rossi: Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola 2, Reggio Emilia, 42122, Italy.
Dr. Lebeau: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany.
Dr. Nyström: Umeå University, 90 187 Umeå, Sweden.
Dr. Broeders: Radboud University Medical Centre, Geert Grooteplein 21, Nijmegen, 6525 EZ, the Netherlands.
Dr. Ioannidou-Mouzaka: Leto Gynecological-Surgical and Obstetrical Clinic, 18, Avenue Kifissias, 11526 Athens, Greece.
Mr. Duffy: Centre for Cancer Prevention, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom.
Dr. Borisch: Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Chemin des Mines 9, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland.
Dr. Fitzpatrick: National Screening Service, Kings Inns House, 200 Parnell Street, Dublin, D01 A3Y8, Ireland.
Dr. Hofvind: Cancer Registry of Norway, Ullernchausseen 64, 0379 Oslo, Norway.
Dr. Castells: IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Carrer del Dr. Aiguader, 88, Barcelona, 8003, Spain.
Dr. Giordano: CPO Piedmont-AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, via Cavour 31, Turin, 10131, Italy.
Mrs. Warman: Havyatt Lodge, Havyatt Road, Langford, North Somerset, BS40 5DD, United Kingdom.
Dr. Mansel: Cardiff University, The Gables, Monmouth, NP25 3PA, United Kingdom.
Dr. Sardanelli: Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Morandi 30, San Donato Milanese, Milan, 20097, Italy.
Dr. Gräwingholt: Radiologie am Theater, Neuer Platz 4, Paderborn, NRW, 33098, Germany.
Author Contributions: Conception and design: H.J. Schünemann, D. Lerda, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Analysis and interpretation of the data: H.J. Schünemann, C. Quinn, M. Follmann, P. Alonso-Coello, P. Giorgi Rossi, A. Lebeau, M. Broeders, S.W. Duffy, P. Fitzpatrick, S. Hofvind, C. Canelo-Aybar, S. Warman, E. Parmelli, A. Gräwingholt, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Drafting of the article: H.J. Schünemann, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Critical revision for important intellectual content: H.J. Schünemann, C. Quinn, M. Follmann, P. Alonso-Coello, P. Giorgi Rossi, A. Lebeau, L. Nyström, M. Broeders, L. Ioannidou-Mouzaka, B. Borisch, X. Castells, C. Canelo-Aybar, S. Warman, R. Mansel, F. Sardanelli, E. Parmelli, A. Gräwingholt, L. Giordano, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Final approval of the article: H.J. Schünemann, D. Lerda, C. Quinn, M. Follmann, P. Alonso-Coello, P. Giorgi Rossi, A. Lebeau, L. Nyström, M. Broeders, L. Ioannidou-Mouzaka, S.W. Duffy, B. Borisch, P. Fitzpatrick, S. Hofvind, X. Castells, L. Giordano, C. Canelo-Aybar, S. Warman, R. Mansel, F. Sardanelli, E. Parmelli, A. Gräwingholt, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Provision of study materials or patients: H.J. Schünemann, D. Lerda, P. Alonso-Coello, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Statistical expertise: H.J. Schünemann, P. Giorgi Rossi, L. Nyström, S.W. Duffy, C. Canelo-Aybar.
Administrative, technical, or logistic support: H.J. Schünemann, P. Alonso-Coello, B. Borisch, D. Lerda, E. Parmelli, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
Collection and assembly of data: H.J. Schünemann, P. Alonso-Coello, A. Lebeau, P. Fitzpatrick, C. Canelo-Aybar, S. Warman, Z. Saz-Parkinson.
This article was published at Annals.org on 26 November 2019.
*For members of the ECIBC Contributor Group, see the Supplement.
