Guidelines & Protocols

The Network develops brief, practical cancer care guidelines for primary care often in collaboration with the BC Guidelines and Protocols Advisory Committee.

These guidelines are prepared according to the Advisory Committee format: easy-to-use, evidence-based and taking a proactive approach to the management of cancer as a chronic disease.

Guidelines

To date we have co-published guidelines on Lung Cancer (2021), Prostate Cancer (2020), Palliative Care (updated 2017), and Female Genital Tract Cancers (2014-2016), and contributed to guidelines for Colorectal (2013) and Breast Cancer (2013) in partnership with the BC Guidelines and Protocols Advisory Committee (GPAC).

In 2016, we published independently produced guidelines for Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Breast cancer

Breast Disease and Cancer: Diagnosis (2013)
Breast Cancer: Management and Follow-up (2013)
Breast Cancer: Follow-up brochure (2020) (PDF) available in:

Colorectal cancer

Colorectal Screening for Cancer Prevention in Asymptomatic Patients (2013) (PDF)
Follow-up of Colorectal Polyps or Cancer (2013) (PDF)
Colorectal Cancer: Follow-up brochure (2020) (PDF) available in:

Female genital tract cancers

Lung cancer

‎Suspected Lung Cancer in Primary Care

Palliative care

Additional appendices (not included with the bcguidelines.ca listing):

Pain and Symptom Management

BPS -Constipation Scale (PDF)
Daily Opioid Patient Dosing Handout (PDF)
Medical Management of Malignant Bowel Obstruction (PDF)
Methadone Application for Analgesic Purposes (PDF)
Suggestions for Dealing with Constipation
Magic Mouthwash Explained (PDF) (Journal of Family Practice Oncology, Fall 2014)
Bowel Protocol (PDF)

Grief & Bereavement

BC Centre for Palliative Care: BC Inter-professional Palliative Symptom Management Guidelines (2017)

Prostate cancer

Published jointly with the BC Guidelines & Protocols Advisory Committee in September 2020:

Prostate Cancer Part 1: Diagnosis and Referral in Primary Care
Prostate Cancer Part 2: Follow-up in Primary Care

Working Group Members (PDF)

Upper gastrointestinal cancers

Guidelines evaluation

The Family Practice Oncology Network took part in a project, funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, to evaluate the awareness and use of clinical practice guidelines for breast and colorectal cancer released in 2013.

View the Final Report (PDF) and Evaluation Summary (PDF) published in June and August 2015 respectively.

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