Reproducibility of guidelines. A comparison of the NCCN and ASCO lung cancer guidelines

Clinical practice guidelines are reproducible if two groups of experts, presented with the same evidence and methods, derive similar recommendations. Reproducibility is an essential attribute in justifying the use of clinical practice guidelines to guide and monitor physicians' practices. This article will compare guidelines for the management of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) with guidelines derived by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This comparison aims to determine whether the two guidelines are similar or whether there are major differences that pose significant problems for clinicians attempting to manage patients according to one oncology standard.