Cancer Programs News: January 22

2026 ACS Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference Abstract Submissions Are Open

Quality improvement professionals are encouraged to submit a 250-word abstract for the 2026 ACS Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference, July 30–August 2, in Orlando, Florida. 

Abstracts may be accepted as an oral presentation, poster presentation, or both. The deadline for submitting abstracts is March 9.

Abstract submissions should:

• Relate to surgical quality improvement initiatives, including the development, implementation, or validation of best practices
• Follow operational best practices relating to workflows around collecting data and reporting
• Use data from any nationally recognized surgical quality registry

Abstracts submitted or recently presented at other meetings are eligible for presentation at the 2026 Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference. All acceptances will require in-person attendance at the meeting and a registration fee.

For additional information regarding presentation guidelines, submission details, and more, visit the conference website or contact acsqsconference@facs.org.

New Template for QI Projects Is Available

A combined quality improvement initiative template for Commission on Cancer Standard 7.3, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers Standard 7.2, and National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Standard 7.2 is available in the resources section of QPort.

In addition, all other templates have been updated, incorporating feedback provided by users. If you have already completed a template for your current accreditation cycle, you are not required to copy the information into an updated version. Prior versions of templates will be accepted for submission in the Pre-Review Questionnaire (PRQ).

Updated NAPRC templates to document Rectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Team patient discussions for Standards 5.6 and 5.11 will soon be available.

Sign Up for Small Group QI Coaching Calls

Join a small group of ACS Cancer Programs-accredited programs and quality improvement (QI) experts for upcoming coaching calls that will include feedback on ongoing initiatives, explore future project ideas, and assess available tools. Other peer program participants will join these calls to offer ideas and feedback.

To keep the calls small and conversational, no more than 20 people will be registered per call, and each name will be kept on the list for future sessions (approximately two sessions are held per month).

Complete this survey to receive a registration link.  You can also email questions or QI project ideas ahead of time to cancerqi@facs.org.  

Participate in Gastric Cancer Surgery Webinar

The Cancer Surgery Standards Program (CSSP) will host an educational webinar on February 18, for surgeons on the technical standards for gastric cancer surgery.

Speakers will discuss evidence-based operative standards for the performance of gastric cancer surgery as outlined in the Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery, Volume 2. This webinar will include presentations on intraoperative staging and resection of the primary tumor, assessment of surgical margins and technical aspects of regional lymphadenectomy, and reconstruction options following gastric cancer surgery. The panel discussion will include insights into clinical management of gastric cancer through case study review.

This webinar will be applicable to senior residents, fellows, and surgeons interested in, and performing, gastric cancer surgery. All surgeons who attend the webinar are eligible to receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. Register today.

For more information contact CSSP@facs.org.

CoC Operative Standards Overview Video Is Available

A brief video is available on the Cancer Surgery Standards Program YouTube playlist, which provides an overview of the rationale and background for the Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards 5.3-5.8. This resource can be shared with providers and staff at CoC-accredited cancer programs who are interested in learning the history and background behind the standards. Questions can be directed to CSSP@facs.org.

Learn More About the CoC Operative Standards Audit Templates

Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards Video Template Overviews are available for accredited programs within the Resources section of QPort. These videos provide a high-level overview of the templates and demonstrate data entry to facilitate quick and accurate case auditing. Questions can be directed to CSSP@facs.org.

The Cancer Surgery Standards Program will host the webinar CoC Operative Standards Self-Audit Tool at 4:00 pm on February 23. Speakers Aaron D. Bleznak, MD, MBA, FACS, FSSO; Anthony M. Villano, MD, FACS; and Carrie Antonelli, ODS-C will discuss the use of the CoC Operative Standards Audit Templates.

Commission on Cancer Seeks CLP Feedback for Operative Standards Study

The Assessing the Effectiveness and Significance of the Operative Standards Program (AESOP) study is a 5-year, multi-institutional initiative funded by the National Cancer Institute. The AESOP team is evaluating how the Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards are implemented and their impact on cancer care. A central component of this work involves collecting insights from Cancer Liaison Physicians (CLPs) through national surveys.

The CLPs at programs undergoing CoC accreditation site visits this month will receive a survey link from REDCap@facs.org. CLPs are asked to complete the 10-to-15-minute survey within 2 weeks of receiving the email. In appreciation for their time, CLPs will receive a $25 gift card upon completion of the survey.

CLP participation is critical to the AESOP study and will inform future work. Contact AESOP@facs.org with questions.

Learn more about the AESOP study in the January issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, in which authors discuss the aims and progress of the program.

Join the 2026 National QI Project

Commission on Cancer-accredited programs are encouraged to participate in the 2026 national quality improvement project Timely Administration post-Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TApT). Learn more about TApT and complete the Intent to Participate survey by February 15 to join programs across the country as they improve the quality of bladder cancer care and identify areas to increase compliance with National Cancer Database quality measure BLCT1.

Updated NAPRC Standards Are Ready for Implementation

The updated National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) accreditation standards address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and provide a streamlined approach to requirements. Centers must comply with the updated standards starting January 1.

Substantive changes include:

• Standard 5.12: RC-MDT Review Following Neoadjuvant Therapy was removed. The requirement to present patients to the Rectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Team (RC-MDT) post-neoadjuvant therapy is included in Standard 5.11: Treatment Outcome Discussion and Outcome Summary.
  • Standard 5.11 was also updated to clarify that RC-MDT presentations for any neoadjuvant patient must occur within 150 days of the final administered course of the patient’s treatment.
• The standards governing RC-MDT presentation requirements (Standards 5.6 and 5.11) were reorganized so the elements required for discussion match the elements required for the summary. A few discussion elements were added to the treatment planning RC-MDT presentation in Standard 5.6, which are outlined in the Change Log.
  • The compliance percentages for delivery of recommendations and outcome summaries were increased to 90% to match the patient presentation compliance threshold. As a reminder, if a treating physician is present during the RC-MDT discussion, this event qualifies as delivery of the recommendation or outcome summary.
• Standard 7.2: Quality Improvement (QI) Initiative was updated to reduce the number of QI projects required each accreditation cycle from three to one.

A detailed Change Log has been added to both the Resources section of QPort and the NAPRC website. The NAPRC FAQ resource has been updated, which is also available in the Resources section of QPort.

Updated templates that may be used to document RC-MDT discussions will be available in early 2026.

Questions on the NAPRC Standards should be submitted to the CAnswer Forum.

American Cancer Society Report Shows Gains in 5-Year Relative Survival Rate

Findings in the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer facts and trends, Cancer Statistics 2026, show for the first time the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined reached 70% for people diagnosed during 2015-2021 in the US. Survival gains since the mid-1990s are especially notable for people diagnosed with more fatal cancers, such as myeloma (from 32% to 62%), liver cancer (7% to 22%), and lung cancer (15% to 28%).

In 2026 in the US, approximately 2,114,850 new cancer diagnoses (5,800 each day) are projected to occur, and 626,140 people will die from the disease. Although the cancer mortality rate has continued to decline through 2023—dropping by a total of 34% since its peak in 1991 and preventing 4.8 million cancer deaths—incidence continues to increase for many common cancers, including breast, prostate, liver (female), melanoma (female), oral cavity, pancreas, and uterine corpus (endometrial). 

These important findings are published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the flagship journal of the American Cancer Society, alongside its consumer-friendly companion, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026.

CoC Recognizes Accredited Sites

The ACS CoC recognizes the following cancer sites for demonstrating their commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care to patients and the community by recently earning CoC reaccreditation:

Eisenhower Health
Rancho Mirage, CA

FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital
Pinehurst, NC

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center
Vancouver, WA

Providence Alaska Medical Center- Cancer Center
Anchorage, AK

SCL Health Cancer Center Centers of Montana at St. James
Butte, MT

VCU Health Systems
Richmond, VA

NAPBC Recognizes Accredited Sites

The ACS NAPBC recognizes the following breast sites for demonstrating their commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care to patients and the community by recently earning NAPBC reaccreditation:

Center for Breast Health
Westminster, MD

The Elizabeth Reilly Breast Center
Henderson, NC

Gundersen Health System Norma J. Vinger Center for Breast Care
La Crosse, WI

HCA Houston Healthcare Clearlake
Webster, TX

Houston Methodist Breast Center
Houston, TX

Jefferson Breast Care Center
Philadelphia, PA

Northwest Community Healthcare
Arlington Heights, IL

NAPRC Recognizes Accredited Sites

The ACS National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) recognizes the following cancer sites for demonstrating their commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care to patients and the community by recently earning NAPRC accreditation:

Capital Health Medical Center Hopewell
Pennington, NJ

Doylestown Hospital
Doylestown, PA

Englewood Hospital (Englewood Health)
Englewood, NJ

Mount Sinai Medical Center
New York, NY

Mark Your Calendars

January 29: NAPBC: Axillary Management in Breast Cancer

February 18: Technical Standards for Gastric Surgery

February 23: CoC Operative Standards Self-Audit Tool

July 30–August 2: Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference

September 26–29: ACS Clinical Congress 2026