Journal of Breast Cancer S P E C I A L R E P O R T J Breast Cancer 2012 June; 15(2): 239-243 http://dx.doi.org/10.4048/jbc.2012.15.2.239 Survey of the Application of the Korean Clinical Practice Recommendations on Breast Cancer Treatment: The Utility of the Korean Breast Cancer Society Guidelines Geumhee Gwak, Hae Kyung Lee 1, Hee Jung Kim 2, Si Youn Lee3, Yong Lai Park4, Jong Won Lee 2, Seung Gi Kim5, Ho Huh6, Hyukjai Shin7, Je Ryong Kim8, Jin-Seok Ahn9, Ju Hyuk Son10, Il Gyun Lee11, Woo Chan Park12, Sung Yong Kim13, Sehwan Han, Eun Sook Lee14; Korean Breast Cancer Society; Korea Breast Cancer Foundation Department of Surgery, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul; 1Department of Surgery, Cheil General Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center, Seoul; 2Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul; 3Center of Breast Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang; 4Department of Surgery, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul; 5Department of Surgery, Kangnam CHA Hospital, Seoul; 6Department of Surgery, Ilsan Hospital, Goyang; 7Department of Surgery, Myongji Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Goyang; 8Department of Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon; 9Division of Hematology-Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul; 10Division of Hematology-Oncology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul; 11Department of Surgery, Kangnam MizMedi Hospital, Seoul; 12Department of Surgery, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul; 13Department of Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan; 14Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea This survey was performed to analyze the usability of the third edition of the Korean breast cancer clinical practice guidelines (KBCCPG) in clinical practice. We made a questionnaire com- posed of 18 general and 82 specific questions regarding benign breast disease (B; 1 question); non-invasive disease (N; 12 ques- tions); early-stage disease (E; 26 questions); advanced disease (A; 24 questions); and metastatic (M) breast cancer-related prob- lems (19 questions). A total of 100 questionnaires, with a link to an online survey, were delivered via e-mail to over 700 members of the Korean Breast Cancer Society (KBCS), and associated academy members, over 20 days between 26th February and 16th May 2010. Out of 270 respondents who read the e-mail, 96 answered the questionnaire. Participants included 87 surgical oncologists, 5 radiation oncologists, 2 oncoplastic surgeons, 1 pathologist, and 1 medical oncologist. The third KBCCPG were perceived as differing from the second guidelines in terms of the Correspondence: Eun Sook Lee Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang 410-769, Korea Tel: +82-31-920-1934, Fax: +82-31-920-1379 E-mail: eslee@korea.ac.kr This present research has been supported by Korea Breast Cancer Foundation (KBCF). KBCF and grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republc of Korea (A100810). Received: February 9, 2012 Accepted: April 9, 2012 level of clinical evidence required before choosing a recommen- dation. For the progress of the KBCCPG, the guideline commit- tee should try to reinforce all courses of guideline development with several elements including data from clinical trials of Korean breast cancer patients, securing a multidisciplinary approach, developing consistent and reasonable processes for each step of the revision of the guidelines, induction of liberal scientific and ethical discussion about all issues with all KBCS members. The cost-effectiveness of healthcare and the logical development of the KBCCPG would also be ensured. Timely updates of the clin- ical guidelines for breast cancer treatment are essential to facilitate optimal decision-making in daily practice, and to ensure adequate patient feedback. Key Words: Breast neoplasms, Guideline, Korea, Surveys INTRODUCTION The aim of clinical practice guidelines is to reduce inappro- priate variations in physician-ordered treatment and to opti- mize the care given to every patient [1]. The first Korean breast cancer clinical practice guidelines (KBCCPG) were issued in 2002 by the Guidelines Committee of the Korean Breast Can- cer Society (KBCS). The second iteration employed systematic literature review to ensure evidence-based guideline develop- ment. The first edition of the KBCCPG was formatted in an © 2012 Korean Breast Cancer Society. All rights reserved. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. http://ejbc.kr | pISSN 1738-6756 eISSN 2092-9900