Introduction to the COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee White Papers: Rationale and methods

Tang ER, Alazraki AL, Thacker PG, McCarville MB, Towbin AJ. Introduction to the COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee White Papers: Rationale and methods. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2023 Jun;70 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):e30411. doi: 10.1002/pbc.30411. Epub 2023 May 9. PubMed PMID: 37158569; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10626871.

Pediatric cancer is a rare disease. Because of this, many sites do not have experience providing imaging for specific tumor types. The Children’s Oncology Group Diagnostic Imaging Committee and the Society for Pediatric Radiology Oncology Committee are comprised of radiologists with expertise in pediatric cancer imaging. Recently, this group endeavored to create a series of twenty-three white papers designed to provide evidence-based imaging recommendations and minimum achievable imaging protocols. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the methods employed in authoring the white paper series.