Standards and Resources

The Commission on Cancer has released the latest version of its accreditation standards, Optimal Resources for Cancer Care (2020 Standards). This republication was released in October 2025.

The Standards Changelog provides an overview of the revisions and updates made to Optimal Resources for Cancer Care (2020 Standards). Please note, this document is not a substitute for reading the CoC standards in their entirety.

Interested in using content from Optimal Resources for Cancer Care (2020 Standards)? Please review the ACS Content Use Permissions Requirements.

Download the Standards Change Log

Implementation Timelines

In most cases, programs have been required to implement the 2020 Standards as of January 1, 2020. The 2020 Standards were last updated in October 2025. More information on implementation timelines for specific standards may be found here.

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Operative Standards

The 2020 Standards include six new operative standards. Standards 5.3 through 5.8 were developed from standards described in Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery Volumes I & II (OSCS).

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Commission on Cancer Optimal Resources for Cancer Care Gap Analysis Tool

To assist your accreditation journey, the CoC has developed a tool to help assess your site’s readiness to apply for CoC accreditation. This resource includes:

Standard Elements – A basic description of the elements within each standard.
Required Documentation – Information on what is needed to demonstrate compliance.
Site Status – A space to document your site’s current standard compliance status.
Action Plan – A space to document an action plan to address compliance gaps.
Resources – Links to available resources that can assist with compliance, including access to templates and an example of the Pre-Review Questionnaire (PRQ).

For more information on this tool, please visit the ACS Store.

Questions Regarding Optimal Resources for Cancer Care (2020 Standards)

CAnswer Forum is an interactive, virtual bulletin board for constituents to ask questions and search topics and is designed as an open forum for networking and discussion of the accreditation standards, cancer data collection and cancer staging, and other relevant topics. Users must complete a one-time registration where they will create a username and password to access the forum.

Visit CAnswer Forum