October 2002
Highlights for the month:
Agendas, Slide Presentations from CoC Clinical Congress Meetings Online
Highlights of the CoC meetings held during the ACoS Clinical Congress in San Francisco, CA, October 6-7, 2002, are now posted on our Web site at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/index.html. Look here for meeting agendas, complete slide presentations including the most current review of the proposed changes to CoC standards, and a summary of the Commission's accomplishments in 2002.
Highlights
AJCC Sixth Edition TNM Videoconference November 21, 2002
The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) will hold a two-hour videoconference for physicians and cancer registrars titled "The Changing Strategies of TNM Staging: Introduction to the AJCC 6th Edition" on Thursday, November 21, 2002. The videoconference will be broadcast in four time zones. New concepts of TNM staging, common staging errors, and major changes of the TNM staging schema for breast, melanoma, head and neck, gastrointestinal, and renal cancers will be highlighted.
Three hundred-four facilities are registered for the videoconference. A list of the participating facilities will soon be posted on AJCC Web site at http://www.cancerstaging.org. Registration is now closed. In January 2003, a videotape of the presentation will be made available. Please check the AJCC Web site in early January for more information or contact Susan Burkhardt, AJCC Administrator, at 312/202-5313 or sburkhardt@facs.org.
Highlights
Commission Delays Implementation of Requirement for CAP Anatomic Protocols
Acting on a request from the College of American Pathologists, the Executive Committee of the Commission on Cancer voted unanimously to delay implementation of the requirement for Commission-approved cancer programs to use the CAP Anatomic Protocols until January 1, 2004. CAP cited several reasons for requesting this delay including the need for significant revision caused by the changes in the AJCC 6th edition, issues of logic and consistency, and the need to stratify reporting elements to be scientifically proven or clinically important. A letter addressing this change in implementation can be found on our News and Events Web page at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/cannews.html. Please print this letter and share it with the cancer committee at your facility.
Highlights
NCDB Call for Data
The CoC recently sent letters to all Approved Cancer Programs announcing the December 31, 2002 deadline for completion of the Call for Data for cases accessioned in 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001. Approved programs are required to participate in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) Annual Call for Data and are invited to participate in the two Patient Care Evaluation studies of lung and gastric cancers. Data submissions can be made as early as November 15 and must be made using the CoC's Web-based data submission process. Instructions for preparing your submission, validating the contents of the transmission file, and making your submission via the Web are available at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/ncdb/index.html.
Highlights
New NCDB Menu Facilitates Registrar and Software Provider Use
Our NCDB menu has been redesigned and reorganized to differentiate registrar information from that of software providers. By creating separate sections of the site for these groups, we've been able to present user-specific information in a clear, concise format. The most recent Call for Data information has already been posted to the site. Take a look at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/ncdb/index.html.
Highlights
NCDB Benchmarks - Terms and Use Agreements
Users of the NCDB Benchmark and Survival Reports are now required to review and accept terms and use agreement documents. User acknowledgment and acceptance of this document simply signifies that the data tables and figures generated from the benchmark applications will be used for specific purposes. Hospital registry and cancer committee use of the benchmark reports for comparative purposes is encouraged; however, the manner in which tables and figures are used and interpreted is the responsibility of the cancer program, not the NCDB. In addition, NCDB staff must be notified in the event that information is planned to be used in peer reviewed publications or for commercial purposes. Copies of the use agreements can be found following the help buttons in the reports.
Highlights
Free FIPS Training to be Offered in November
For those facilities that have not yet updated their information through CoC Datalinks, a free training session via conference call will be offered on Tuesday, November 12, 2002 from 11:00am to 12:00pm CDT. The training will take approximately 45 minutes and will include a walk through the online FIPS application to familiarize you with the Web-based form. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Lina Patel-Parekh, FIPS Administrator, at FIPS@facs.org or 312-202-5401. Space is limited, so act fast!
Highlights
Cancer Committee Chair Survey Results
The Commission on Cancer would like to thank the 447 cancer committee chairs in CoC-approved cancer programs who took the time during August and September to respond to a brief questionnaire assessing their attitudes and opinions in areas related to the CoC's activities, interactions with the American Cancer Society, and the role of their Cancer Liaison Physician. Information on the purpose of the survey, its results, recommendations, and actions taken, as well as an explanation of the next steps will be posted on the News and Events section of our Web site at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/cannews.html. We encourage you to print these results and share them with the cancer committee at your facility. If you have questions regarding the survey and its outcomes, please contact Connie Bura at cbura@facs.org.
Highlights
Do Your Cancer Patients Know How Special Cancer Program Approval Is?
More than ever, cancer patients today are better informed about their cancer care options. They look to the Internet for guidance and information about choosing a hospital that offers comprehensive care using a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment and a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists to coordinate the best treatment options available. They also seek information about clinical trials, education, and support services. Let cancer patients know that your facility has earned the Commission on Cancer seal of Approval. If you have a Web site, we encourage you to add a link to the CoC Home Page (http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/index.html), so patients can learn what it means to be approved and just how special your cancer program really is.
Highlights
New State Chairs Appointed
The Commission is pleased to welcome three new State Chairs this month: Mark Sesto, MD, FACS (Florida-M/South Florida); Terry Sarantou, MD, FACS (North Carolina); and David Ota, MD, FACS (Wisconsin).
Highlights
UICC Fellowship Deadlines Approach
Applications for the following are due December 1, 2002:
UICC Translational Cancer Research Fellowships (TCRF)
American Cancer Society UICC International Fellowships for Beginning Investigators (ACSBI)
Applications for the following are due January 1, 2003:
Yamagiwa-Yoshida Memorial UICC International Study Grants (YY)
For complete details on these fellowship opportunities visit the UICC Web site at http://fellows.uicc.org or contact Brita Baker, International Union Against Cancer (UICC), 3 rue Conseil Général, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: (4122) 809 18 40 or Fax: (4122) 809 18 10.
Highlights
To Subscribe to CoC Flash
CoC Flash is e-mailed automatically each month to individuals for whom the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has an e-mail address. If you wish to continue to receive the newsletter on a monthly basis, you need do nothing. You can discontinue your subscription by writing to coc@facs.org and requesting that your name be deleted from the database. Individuals not currently receiving the newsletter may subscribe to the publication by sending an e-mail containing your name, address, telephone and fax numbers to coc@facs.org, and asking to be added to our electronic distribution database.
To Submit Information
CoC Flash will accept submissions received by the third week of each month. However, the CoC reserves the right to decide whether or not the materials are appropriate for inclusion. Information for CoC Flash should be timely, newsworthy, brief, and of use and interest to the constituents of the Commission, which include cancer registrars, liaison physicians, cancer committee chairs, and other cancer-oriented health care professionals. To submit material, send it to coc@facs.org.
The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, standard setting, and the monitoring of quality care. CoC Flash is a monthly news service for constituents of the CoC provided by the Commission and the Cancer Program of the American College of Surgeon
CoC Flash
Commission on Cancer
