Online Education Center for Cancer Programs: Promoting Quality Care

Colorectal Cancer Staging: Fundamentals for Physicians

(1 CME credit)
Presented by Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS

Course Overview

This presentation is intended to provide physicians involved in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer with an overview of colorectal cancer staging as presented in the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Sixth Edition. This program will explain the TNM staging revisions implemented in the Sixth Edition, and provide an overview of the finer points in the development and use of the staging system. Guidelines will be presented for assigning the T, N, and M for colorectal cancer in daily practice.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course, a viewer will:

Understand the rationale behind revisions made to colorectal cancer staging in the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Sixth Edition
Appreciate the importance of obtaining good surgical margins around the primary tumor and a sufficient number of regional lymph nodes for pathologic examination
Recognize the importance of the radial margin as a prognostic indicator for local recurrence of rectal cancer

Intended Audience

This program is intended for physicians who may be responsible for assigning AJCC TNM staging for colorectal cancer, as well as those interested in gaining a better understanding of the colorectal staging system.

Online Education Center for Cancer Programs