Cancer Programs News: March 5

2026 Gap Analysis Tools Are Available

The Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), and National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Gap Analysis Tools have been updated to reflect 2026 requirements for compliance and are now available for purchase.

The Gap Analysis Tools help programs assess their readiness to apply for accreditation for the first time and contain the following information:

• Standard requirements
• Documentation requirements
• Fields for tracking the program’s compliance status and any necessary action plans
• Resources to assist in achieving compliance
• Templates for documenting compliance

Click on the links below to access each Gap Analysis Tool:

• CoC Gap Analysis Tool
• NAPBC Gap Analysis Tool
• NAPRC Gap Analysis Tool

Results of Beyond ASK Initiative Are Reviewed

The ACS Cancer Programs Beyond ASK quality improvement initiative engaged with 324 accredited cancer programs nationwide with the goal of embedding cessation assistance into routine cancer care.

Over the course of a year, participating programs markedly increased the proportion of patients who received help to quit smoking, with assistance rates rising from 48% to nearly 68%. More than 33,000 patients received support, and nearly two-thirds of programs reported full adoption of the approach.

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, these results demonstrate that large-scale, rapid improvement is not only possible but achievable, offering a clear roadmap for making smoking cessation standard care for every patient diagnosed with cancer.

March Is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

To help promote Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in your community, the CoC and the NAPRC have developed customizable posters that can be downloaded through the Marketing Resources section in QPort.  Contact coc@facs.org and/or naprc@facs.org with any questions.

In addition, to encourage earlier conversations about colorectal cancer, the ACS has released free, publicly available educational materials and a checklist that helps people identify potential warning signs and prepare for primary care visits.

Read more.

Save the Date for 2026 ACS Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference

Join cancer program leaders, clinicians, and quality professionals at the 2026 ACS Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference, July 30–August 2, in Orlando, Florida. Visit facs.org/qscc regularly for the latest updates, including registration opening announcements.

The conference will feature a dynamic series of sessions focused on the latest cancer accreditation updates, including new standards, site visit preparation, ACS National Cancer Database® (NCDB®) insights, and patient-centered outcomes.

Hear directly from C-suite leaders, explore high-impact local quality improvement (QI) projects, address rural cancer care challenges, and get your questions answered during interactive office hours and live Q&A sessions.

QI professionals are encouraged to submit a 250-word abstract by March 9. For additional information regarding presentation guidelines, submission details, and more, visit the conference website or contact acsqsconference@facs.org.

Gastric Cancer Surgery Webinar Is Rescheduled for May 6

The Cancer Surgery Standards Program (CSSP)’s  Technical Standards for Cancer Surgery: Gastric Webinar, now being held on May 6. All attendees must re-register for this webinar with the new registration link.

This webinar will review evidence-based operative standards for gastric cancer surgery as outlined in Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery, Volume 2. Planned topics include 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 feature case-based insights into the clinical management of gastric cancer.

The program is applicable to senior residents, fellows, and surgeons who perform or have an interest in gastric cancer surgery. Surgeons who attend the rescheduled webinar will be eligible to receive Continuing Medical Education credits.

For more information, contact CSSP@facs.org

Operative Standards Self-Audit Template Webinar Recording is Available

The recording of the recent CSSP webinar on the new CoC Operative Standards Self-Audit Template is available on the CSSP YouTube channel. This webinar featured a live demonstration on how to complete the template for Commission on Cancer (CoC) Standards 5.3-5.6. Following the demonstration, webinar panelists answered questions regarding the new self-audit tool. 

For questions, contact cssp@facs.org

CoC Announces Exemption for Standard 5.7

Beginning with 2026 site visits, CoC programs accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC)  are exempt from compliance with CoC Standard 5.7: Total Mesorectal Excision.

Eligible programs must indicate their NAPRC accreditation by adding a comment in the Standard 5.7 comment box in the Pre-Review Questionnaire (PRQ). For the medical record review, rectal cancer patients may be excluded from the submitted patient list. During the site visit, Standard 5.7 will not be reviewed and will be rated “Not Applicable.”

For networks that include NAPRC-accredited hospitals, eligible cases from those hospitals may be excluded from the patient list provided to the site reviewer. However, the list must still include Standard 5.7–eligible patients from all non-NAPRC hospitals in the network.

NAPRC-accredited programs that have already submitted their CoC PRQ, can reach out to CoC@facs.org to confirm the exemption is being applied. Other questions may be submitted through the CAnswer Forum.

Updated NAPRC RC-MDT Templates Are Available

Updated templates for documenting National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Standards 5.6 and 5.11 Rectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Team (RC-MDT) discussions are available in the QPort Resources section.

Two templates are provided:

• Pretreatment discussion (Standard 5.6)
• Post-treatment discussion(s) (Standard 5.11)

The post-treatment template is designed to be used for all required post-treatment discussions. For example, if a patient undergoes both neoadjuvant therapy and surgery, the same template may be used to document both RC-MDT presentations.

A webinar on best practices for using the NAPRC templates is being planned. Watch Cancer Program News for additional details.

Questions may be submitted through the CAnswer Forum.

Help Shape Future of Cancer Programs Educational Offerings

What educational topics matter most to you? How do you want to connect with ACS Cancer Programs Education? Complete the survey to help guide future programming—and please pass it along to colleagues who engage with Cancer Programs education and events.

New Initiative Highlights Role of Nutrition and Dietetics Professionals

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has launched A Seat at Every Table, a nationwide initiative designed to highlight the essential role of nutrition and dietetics professionals in shaping nutrition decisions across healthcare, public health, food systems, and policy. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) and nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered, are trusted, evidence‑based experts who bring clarity and credibility to nutrition conversations wherever they occur.

Oncology RDNs provide individualized medical nutrition therapy that supports treatment tolerance, manages complex nutrition‑related symptoms, promotes recovery, and improves quality of life throughout the cancer continuum.

For more information about oncology dietitian experts, visit Home - Oncology Nutrition DPG or email ON@eatright.org

Don't Miss April Breast Cancer Conference

Registration is open for Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Thriving Together: 2026 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer, April 17–19 in Philadelphia, and includes livestream options. Now in its 20th year, the conference brings together people living with metastatic breast cancer, caregivers, and experts from across the country. Travel grants and fee waivers for patients are available while funds last. Healthcare providers are also welcome to attend; however, Continuing Education credits are not provided.

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:

Advent Health Colorado
Parker, CO

AdventHealth Hendersonville
Hendersonville, NC

Ascension Alexian Brothers and Ascension St. Alexius
Elk Grove Village, IL

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville
Evansville, IN

Aultman Healthcare Delivery System
Canton, OH

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center
Crosby, MN

Doctors Hospital at Renaissance
Edinburg, TX

Genesis Health System
Davenport, IA

Grand View Health
Sellersville, PA

MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
Olney, MD

MercyOne Genesis
Davenport, IA

Novant Health Cancer Institute
Winston-Salem, NC

Parkland Health
Dallas, TX

Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, Inc.
Piedmont, GA

AdventHealth Redmond
Rome, GA

Sarah Cannon HCA Midwest Health
Kansas City, MO

UConn Health Waterbury Hospital
Waterbury, CT

University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center
Towson, MD

University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals
Galveston, TX

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
Ann Arbor, MI

NAPBC Recognizes Accredited Site

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

Washington Cancer Institute's Center for Breast Health at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Washington, DC

NAPRC Recognizes Accredited Site

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

St. Mark's Hospital
Salt Lake City, UT

Mark Your Calendars

May 6: Technical Standards for Cancer Surgery Gastric Webinar

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

September 26–29: ACS Clinical Congress 2026