Determining essential priorities for future investigation - A national consensus exercise in Interventional Oncology (DEFINE-IO) – An a priori protocol
7 affiliations
- 1UK National Interventional Radiology Research Collaborative, United Kingdom
- 2Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom
- 3Leeds Institute of Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- 4Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
- 5Department of Vascular Radiology, Hull Teaching University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull, United Kingdom
- 6Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Lancashire, United Kingdom
- 7Research and Innovation Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom
Abstract
Introduction: Interventional Oncology (IO) is a rapidly developing subspecialty within interventional radiology (IR), offering minimally invasive, precise and targeted cancer therapies. Despite its transformative potential, IO faces challenges in identifying critical research priorities amidst limited funding and resources. The DEFINE-IO study aims to identify the most pressing research priorities in IO to guide researchers, policy makers, and funding bodies in driving innovation and improving cancer outcomes. Methods and analysis: This study comprises two phases: a modified e-Delphi process and a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The e-Delphi process will involve three rounds, with round 1 dedicated to generating research topics, followed by rounds 2 and 3, which will focus on refining and achieving consensus on the identified topics. The final consensus will yield a list of 25 research priorities, which will be evaluated during an in-person MCDA session. These priorities will be assessed against three predefined criteria: urgency, feasibility/equipoise, and affordability, to establish a strategic roadmap for research in IO. Ethics and dissemination: Formal ethics approval was deemed not necessary. Findings of the study will be presented at major conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings will also be shared with funding bodies and policymakers to help guide future research directions.
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BibTeX
@article{chan2026determining,
title = {{Determining essential priorities for future investigation - A national consensus exercise in Interventional Oncology (DEFINE-IO) – An a priori protocol}},
author = {Vinson Wai-Shun Chan and Blair Graham and Helen Hoi-Lam Ng and Scott Griffiths and Deevia Kotecha and Hanif Ismail and Paul Jenkins and Jim Zhong and Raghuram Lakshminarayan and Tze Min Wah},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0337255},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337255},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Determining essential priorities for future investigation - A national consensus exercise in Interventional Oncology (DEFINE-IO) – An a priori protocol
AU - Vinson Wai-Shun Chan
AU - Blair Graham
AU - Helen Hoi-Lam Ng
AU - Scott Griffiths
AU - Deevia Kotecha
AU - Hanif Ismail
AU - Paul Jenkins
AU - Jim Zhong
AU - Raghuram Lakshminarayan
AU - Tze Min Wah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0337255
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337255
AB - Introduction: Interventional Oncology (IO) is a rapidly developing subspecialty within interventional radiology (IR), offering minimally invasive, precise and targeted cancer therapies. Despite its transformative potential, IO faces challenges in identifying critical research priorities amidst limited funding and resources. The DEFINE-IO study aims to identify the most pressing research priorities in IO to guide researchers, policy makers, and funding bodies in driving innovation and improving cancer outcomes. Methods and analysis: This study comprises two phases: a modified e-Delphi process and a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The e-Delphi process will involve three rounds, with round 1 dedicated to generating research topics, followed by rounds 2 and 3, which will focus on refining and achieving consensus on the identified topics. The final consensus will yield a list of 25 research priorities, which will be evaluated during an in-person MCDA session. These priorities will be assessed against three predefined criteria: urgency, feasibility/equipoise, and affordability, to establish a strategic roadmap for research in IO. Ethics and dissemination: Formal ethics approval was deemed not necessary. Findings of the study will be presented at major conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings will also be shared with funding bodies and policymakers to help guide future research directions.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -