Cancer Programs News: November 13

Table of Contents

In this issue:

Learn About Technical Standards for Neuroendocrine Surgery
CoC Announces Updates to Operative Standards 5.3–5.6
CoC Clarifies Pediatric Standards
CoC Announces 2025 Paper Competition Award Recipients
Register Today for Version 9 Staging System Webinar Series
CoC December Webinars Address Broad Spectrum of Topics
November 20 is the Great American Smokeout
American Cancer Society Offers Caregiver Resources
Living Beyond Breast Cancer Webinar Explores Patient-Centered Dosing
CoC Recognizes Accredited Sites
NAPBC Recognizes Accredited Sites
NAPRC Recognizes Accredited Sites
Mark Your Calendar

Cancer Surgery Standards Program

Learn About Technical Standards for Neuroendocrine Surgery

The “Technical Standards for Neuroendocrine Surgery” webinar is available on the ACS Learning Management System (LMS) and on YouTube via the Cancer Surgery Standards Program playlist. The webinar, hosted by the Cancer Surgery Standards Program (CSSP), reviews evidence-based operative standards for the performance of neuroendocrine surgery as outlined in the Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery, Volume 3.

Physicians are eligible to earn 1.5 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits if the content is viewed through the LMS.

CME will not be awarded to participants watching the webinar on YouTube.

The following provides information for accessing the course on the LMS:

If you have access to the Commission on Cancer, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, or National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer portals, use that login. If not, create a new account.
The course can be found in the catalog tab by title (CSSP: Technical Standards for Neuroendocrine Surgery).
Registration for the course is required.
After registration is complete, you must access the course to see the video, slide handout, and evaluation and print the CME certificate of completion.
If you receive an error message in the LMS, log out, clear your computer’s internet history, and log back in.

Any questions regarding the webinar or CME can be directed to CSSP@facs.org. Questions related to the LMS can be directed to cancerprogramsevents@facs.org.

Commission on Cancer

CoC Announces Updates to Operative Standards 5.3–5.6

Starting with activity in 2026, Commission on Cancer (CoC) Standards 5.3-5.6 will have the following modified requirements:

Standards 5.3–5.6 have been updated to require an internal audit of compliance each calendar year, confirming 80% compliance with the technical requirements and synoptic operative reporting requirements of Standards 5.3–5.6.
Programs must start performing internal audits in 2026. The internal audits must include 30 eligible operative reports for each standard and must be documented using the appropriate CoC Operative Standards Audit Template. The CoC Operative Standards Audit Templates are forthcoming and will be accessible through the Quality Portal.
If the internal audit demonstrates less than 80% compliance, an action plan must be developed, and the program must complete an additional audit 6 months later.
The results of the internal audit and any action plans must be presented and discussed by the cancer committee and documented in the cancer committee meeting minutes.
Starting in 2027, site visits will only evaluate the internal audit and, if applicable, action plans to determine compliance. During the site visit, for educational purposes, site reviewers will evaluate two operative reports per standard to confirm the audits are being performed correctly. The results of this review will not impact standards compliance as long as the internal audit/action plan requirements are met.

These changes do not apply to Standards 5.7 and 5.8, and these changes do not impact site visits occurring during 2026.

Questions may be submitted to the CAnswer Forum.

CoC Clarifies Pediatric Standards

The Commission on Cancer’s (CoC) recently-updated standards manual included some clarifications to the specifications by category for Pediatric Cancer Programs (PCPs) and CoC-Pediatric Specialty (CoC-PS) programs. Programs participating in these categories or planning to apply should review the updates closely.

Examples of updates include:

Introductory language added to clarify when standards apply or don’t apply to PCPs or CoC-PS
Standard 2.2: Cancer Liaison Physician: Added clarity that the CLP must attend 75% of the committee meetings per Standard 2.4.
Standard 7.2: Monitoring Concordance with Evidence-Based Guidelines: Outlined that a study meeting Standard 7.2 requirements must be completed before an initial site visit.
Standard 8.1: Added clarity that the standard compliance requirements must be documented in the committee minutes.
Standard 5.9: Smoking Cessation for Patients with Cancer: Added as an exempt standard.

Questions may be submitted to the CAnswer Forum

Meet the Winners of the 2025 Research Paper Competition

At the recent Plenary Session in Chicago, Illinois, Commission on Cancer (CoC) leaders recognized the recipients of the 2025 CoC Research Paper Competition awards.

Basic Science

In the Basic Science category, evaluators considered originality, scientific method, technical complexity, and the potential for the research to be translated into practice.

First Place

Shravan Leonard-Murali, MD
Paper Title: “Prospective Histology And Mutation Agnostic Assessment Of Systemic Tumor Burden With Plasma Cell-Free DNA Concentration In 1000 Cancer Patients”

Read Paper (PDF) | Watch Video

Clinical Research

The Clinical Research category assessed originality, scientific merit, clinical relevance to clinical oncology, and the mission of the CoC.

First place

Jaspinder Sing Sanghera, MBChB, iBSc,
Paper Title: “Impact Of Fragmentation On Timely Receipt Of Guideline-Concordant Treatment In Foregut Cancer"

Read Paper (PDF) | Watch Video

Second place

Jennifer Chen, MD
Paper Title: “Prognostic Value of Circulating Tumor Cell Dynamics in Melanoma”

Read Paper (PDF) | Watch Video

Third Place

Chris Varghese, MBChB, BMedSc(Hons)
Paper Title: “Predicting Treatment Response After Total Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer”

Read Paper (PDF) | Watch Video

The annual Cancer Research Paper Competition is a collaborative activity of the CoC and the American Cancer Society and is open to all residents and fellows in training. The 2026 competition will open in January. More information is available on the CoC website.

Education

Register Today for Version 9 Staging System Webinar Series

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Version 9 staging system for lung, nasopharynx, and mesothelioma cancer classification was launched on January 1, 2025. Gain a better understanding of the new staging system in these upcoming webinars.

November 20: AJCC Protocol Webinar on Version 9 Staging System for Lung Cancer
December 2: AJCC Protocol Webinar on Version 9 Staging System for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
December 3: AJCC Protocol Webinar on Version 9 Staging System for Mesothelioma Cancer

The National Cancer Registrars Association and California Board of Registered Nursing offer Continuing Education credits for these courses. Email webinar questions to CancerProgramsEvents@facs.org

CoC December Webinars Address Broad Spectrum of Topics

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) will host a series of informative webinars during the month of December.

On December 2, CoC-accredited programs are encouraged to register for a webinar on Standard 4.8: Survivorship Program. Presenters will provide a deep dive into this standard’s intent, definitions, and requirements, and necessary documentation and measures of compliance.

The two-part lymphedema series kicks off on December 4, with the webinar Understanding Lymphedema: Science, Screening, and Guidelines, in which presenters will address the lymphedema pathophysiology, misconceptions regarding lymphedema, and screening guidelines. They will also review the necessary resources and steps for setting up a lymphedema program.

The second webinar, Managing Lymphedema: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Treatment and Survivorship, is scheduled for December 9. Presenters will address both surgical and nonsurgical options for managing lymphedema and discuss strategies for sequencing therapies based on individual patient presentations.

On December 8, the CoC hosts a webinar on pediatric cancer. Speakers will provide an overview of the CoC’s pediatric accreditation program and a high-level review of the pediatric standards, quality measures, accreditation process, and site visit preparation.

The National Cancer Registrars Association and California Board of Registered Nursing are offering Continuing Education credits for these courses. Email webinar questions to CancerProgramsEvents@facs.org.

From the Field

November 20 Is the Great American Smokeout

Although cigarette smoking rates have been declining for decades, it remains the most preventable cause of serious illness and death. The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout is an opportunity for people who smoke to commit to healthy, smoke-free lives, not just for a day but year-round. The event, scheduled for November 20, encourages people to use the date to make a plan to quit or initiate a smoking cessation plan. The American Cancer Society offers event tools and resources for workplaces, health systems, and other community organizations.

American Cancer Society Offers Caregiver Resources

The American Cancer Society offers tools for people who are caring for someone with cancer. These resources, including the Caregiver Resource Guide and Caregiver Support Video Series, can help caregivers better understand what their loved ones are going through, develop skills for coping and caring, and take steps to help protect their own health and well-being.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer Webinar Explores Patient-Centered Dosing

For people living with metastatic breast cancer, treatment is lifelong. How dosing decisions are made—and how those choices are discussed—can have a profound impact on patients’ daily lives, emotional well-being, and treatment adherence. Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer for a free webinar on December 3 at 11:00 am (CT), Patient-centered dosing in metastatic breast cancer: Improving quality of life and shared decision-making. Presenters will discuss:

How patient-centered dosing can improve quality of life
Practical ways to adjust treatment plans while maintaining effective care
English and Spanish language tools to support shared decision-making
Strategies for having more open, meaningful conversations with patients

This webinar is presented by Living Beyond Breast Cancer in partnership with Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health and Gilead.

Congratulations

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:

Advocate Aurora South Chicagoland INCP
Oak Lawn, IL

Ascension Sacred Heart
Pensacola, FL

Jupiter Medical Center
Jupiter, FL

Kadlec Regional Medical Center
Richland, WA

Kaleida Health
Buffalo, NY

Mercy Hospital St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Nash Health Care Systems
Rocky Mount, NC

Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center
Fountain Valley, CA

Prisma Health-Upstate
Greenville, SC

Tennova Healthcare
Knoxville, TN

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth
Fort Worth, TX

VA Pittsburgh Health Care System
Pittsburgh, PA

WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital
Lewisburg, PA

West Virginia University Hospitals
Morgantown, WV

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:

AdventHealth Cancer Institute
Orlando, FL

Advocate Aurora Health Comprehensive Breast Care of Central WI
Grafton, WI

Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute
Savannah, GA

Frederick Health Breast Center
Frederick, MD

HCA Florida Blake Hospital
Bradenton, FL

Hollings Cancer Center
Charleston, SC

Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center
Chicago, IL

Marion Louise Saltzman Women's Center
Philadelphia, PA

Mount Carmel Health System
Columbus, OH

Presbyterian Breast Care Network
Albuquerque, NM

Women's Health and Oncology Center at Vidant Cancer Care
Greenville, NC

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:

Henrico Doctors' Hospital
Richmond, VA