Guidelines collaboration: EAU-CUA panel develops joint MIBC guidelines
The EAU and the Chinese Urological Association (CUA) Guidelines Offices have steadily been building a strong collaborative working relationship culminating in the first pilot programme for the production of joint EAU-CUA Guidelines focusing on Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (MIBC).
The origins of this project began in August 2016 when the EAU Guidelines Methodology Committee ran a highly successful systematic review and Guidelines methodology training course in Guangzhou, China, at the invitation of Prof. J. Huang, President Elect of the CUA. This course was followed by a second one in Shenzhen, China in 2018. Both workshops were extremely well attended by members of the CUA Guidelines Office with excellent overall participation and active engagement from both the faculty and the attendees.
During the Shenzhen meeting both Guidelines Offices also participated in a highly productive joint meeting to discuss potential collaborative projects, the result of which was the launch of a pilot joint MIBC Guidelines. The Shenzhen meeting was followed by a working group meeting at EAU19 which effectively established the joint EAU-CUA Guidelines Panel and defined the development method and workflow for the production of the joint MIBC Guidelines.
During the recent CUA annual congress Prof. F. Witjes, chair of the EAU MIBC Guidelines panel, supported by Prof. C. Chapple, Secretary General EAU, met with the CUA joint panel delegates to discuss the project’s progress (see photo). Both Guidelines Offices are pleased to report that the project is firmly on track and it is envisaged that the joint Guidelines will be launched during EAU20. Overall, it has been an enlightening experience for both Guidelines Offices, with both panels particularly interested in the potential implications that Chinese and European data, previously not considered by the respective Guidelines, may have for the joint Guidelines. Both the EAU and CUA Guidelines Offices are eager to deliver on this pilot project and look forward to tackling the upcoming challenges regarding the drafting of joint recommendations. Once complete the joint Guidelines will exist alongside the CUA and EAU guidelines; therefore, it is important that all three align with each other on the recommendations appropriate to Europe and China, respectively.
The meeting at CUA Annual Congress was pivotal for the continued growth of the EAU-CUA Guideline Offices’ collaboration and it is hoped that moving forward both Offices can build on the success of the joint MIBC Guidelines project to work collaboratively on assessing the impact of Guidelines on healthcare and healthcare systems across Europe and China.