This message was sent to ##Email## June 13, 2019     Home  |   About   Subscribe  |   Archive  |   Advertise    ACS CANCER PROGRAMS UPDATES Breast standard adherence rates featured in new published study Adherence to evidence‐based standards can lead to improved outcomes for patients with breast cancer. However, adherence rates to standards and their effects on patient outcomes are unknown. A recent study published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology examined adherence rates to specific breast standards compiled by the American College of Surgeons Clinical Research Program (ACS CRP) in Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery Volume I. This study utilized data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to evaluate current rates of adherence to operative and adjuvant therapy standards and to compare the outcomes for patients who met those standards versus those who did not meet the standards.    SERVICE SHOWCASE Advertisement Help Doctors Without Borders Today Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is actively recruiting general and trauma surgeons with experience in emergency obstetrics for international missions in developing countries. Learn more PUF workshop among special cancer sessions at the 2019 ACS Quality and Safety Conference Cancer researchers can learn how to best utilize the NCDB Participant User Files (PUF) at a Preconference Workshop of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2019 Quality and Safety Conference on July 19 in Washington, DC. The morning workshop will showcase relevant and practical information for both new and experienced PUF users, including an overview of the database, resources for researchers, and PUF file navigational tips and tricks. The workshop includes a unique opportunity to review existing and potential NCDB abstracts in a highly interactive session with experts and learn important information researchers can use when developing their own topics. The PUF workshop is one of the special cancer education sessions offered at the 2019 ACS Quality and Safety Conference. A complete list of Cancer Programs-sponsored sessions is available online. Visit the Quality and Safety Conference website for information on the program agenda, meeting/events schedule, registration fees and lodging.     .  SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Advertisement     Registration open for ACS Clinical Congress 2019 Registration is now open for the ACS Clinical Congress 2019, October 27-31 in San Francisco, CA. The Clinical Congress is the premier annual surgical meeting for educational content, with offerings in areas such as cancer, robotic surgery, opioid-sparing pain management, quality improvement, and patient safety. Meeting highlights include the scientific forum, featuring surgical research presentations, late-breaking clinical trials, abstracts, and e-posters; educational offerings such as panel sessions and didactic and surgical skills courses; and multiple networking opportunities. Registration is open to all physicians and individuals in the health care field.    SPONSORED CONTENT Advertisement Promoted by InformedDNA Cracking the Code: CPT Coding Inaccuracies Lead to Inefficient Authorization for Genetic Testing Provider Outreach Facilitates Better Outcomes for Prior Authorizations of Genetic Testing Genetic Counseling Referral Guide Rebecca Sutphen, MD, FACMG, shares advice on when genetic counseling is beneficial for patients   CAnswer Forum Live question period closes June 19 CAnswer Forum Live is a 60-minute webinar open to staff at current and prospective Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and National Accreditation Program for Rectal Centers (NAPRC) programs. The next webinar will take place on June 26, 2019. Please submit your CoC, NAPBC and NAPRC standards-related questions by June 19. You can register today for this event. Go to CAnswer Forum Live to register and access recordings of the January 23 and March 27 broadcasts. For additional information, contact Sue Rubin at srubin@facs.org. .  PRODUCT SHOWCASE VTI 8 MHz Surgical Doppler The VTI 8 MHz Surgical Doppler is FDA cleared for intraoperative evaluation of vasculature, unlike some other Doppler systems. The sterile, single-use probes help to ensure your patient's safety, offer reliability with every use, and can be itemized as a billable supply. Join the CoC and NAPBC surveyor teams Due to the increase in programs seeking accreditation, the CoC and the NAPBC are looking for physicians who want to join the survey team. If you want to work with cancer programs and breast centers to ensure the provision of high-quality, patient-centered care to patients with cancer then take advantage of this opportunity. Please complete and submit an application to become a CoC and/or NAPBC surveyor. For additional information, refer to the CoC Surveyor Application or the NAPBC Surveyor Application.  AJCC NEWS Staging Moments The Staging Moments® series offers succinct, contemporary case-based presentations following the cancer conference (tumor board) format of: symptom presentation; imaging work-up; and pathology diagnosis. The AJCC Staging Moments disease sites are: breast, colorectal, lung, head and neck, and melanoma. AJCC June 19 Physician to Physician Webinar Register today for the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Physician to Physician Webinar on June 19, 2019, from 10:00 to 10:15 am. David Byrd, MD, will lead this session on Post Neoadjuvant Staging. For questions on these and other issues contact the AJCC. ACS CRP Applications for general surgery resident scholarship opportunity closes June 30 The ACS CRP is pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships to general surgery residents who are interested in attending the October 27 didactic course “Designing and Running a Prospective Surgical Clinical Trial” at the upcoming ACS Clinical Congress in San Francisco, CA. The course is designed to teach the methodology of design and implementation of a clinical trial for surgeons interested in developing and leading a prospective trial. Applications are due by June 30, 2019. For additional information contact ACS CRP staff at clinicalresearchprogram@facs.org.  CoC NEWS Draft standards feedback period closed Thank you to those who submitted comments on the CoC Draft Standards! We had an incredible response with approximately 2,500 submissions. The CoC's Accreditation Committee is currently evaluating matters raised and incorporating any needed changes. We appreciate your consideration, time, and expertise regarding this very important matter. Please keep an eye on The Brief for additional updates. Commission on Cancer Paper Competition accepting submissions through July 31 The CoC is currently accepting submissions for the Annual Cancer Research Paper Competition, which recognizes residents and fellows-in-training for their original research. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium plus travel expenses to present the research at the CoC's Annual Meeting on October 27, 2019, during the ACS Clinical Congress in San Francisco, CA. The entry will be considered for publication in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The authors of the second- and third-place winning abstracts will each receive a $500 cash award and an invitation to present a poster during the Annual Meeting of the CoC. Submissions are being accepted through July 31, 2019.  NAPRC NEWS NAPRC call for Fellows to serve on governance committees closes June 15 The NAPRC is making its inaugural call for ACS Fellows to populate its governance committees. The NAPRC was launched in late 2017 to help ensure that patients with rectal cancer receive appropriate care using a multidisciplinary approach. The Executive Committee will be the oversight body of the NAPRC with three standing committees focused on specific aspects and goals of the program. The Accreditation Committee will maintain and enforce accreditation standards development and survey processes, the Education Committee will create and disseminate education related to NAPRC standards and the Quality Committee will continuously monitor and refine quality metrics according to evidence-based findings. Other committee members include representatives from the American College of Radiology, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the College of American Pathologists, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract and the Society of Surgical Oncology. Applicants must be ACS Fellows or Associate Fellows treating rectal cancer patients in a Commission on Cancer-accredited facility that is actively working toward NAPRC accreditation. Interested individuals should submit a CV and a one-page letter of interest and summary of qualifications to naprc@facs.org by June 15, 2019. For more information for applying for NAPRC committee membership, please visit the ACS Committee Opportunities webpage and click on “NAPRC Governance Committees.” For more information on the NAPRC, please visit the NAPRC website.  HEALTH CARE NEWS AND UPDATES New US Cancer Statistics data available New U.S. Cancer Statistics data are available in an updated Data Visualizations tool and public use database at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. U.S. Cancer Statistics are the official federal cancer statistics, providing the latest cancer information on the entire U.S. population. This data resource combines cancer registry data from CDC's national Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. The Data Visualization tool includes interactive graphics and text explaining the data, and can be used to create and export presentation-ready trend graphs, maps, and tables by state, county, and demographic characteristics. Interventions needed to improve surgery access in melanoma Healio To improve the rate of melanoma survival, targeted health care interventions are needed for certain patients who experience the most delays in surgical care, according to researchers. "Equalizing the surgical interval for nonwhite patients could be a step in improving melanoma care for all patients, regardless of skin color," Howa Yeung, MD, assistant professor from the department of dermatology at Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.  READ MORE Biomarker indicates tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis in men with prostate cancer Medical Xpress Mortality due to prostate cancer is usually related to its likelihood to metastasize, especially to bone. Prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed to predict disease aggression so that appropriate treatment can be selected. A report in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, indicates that CCN3, a protein secreted into the extracellular matrix between cells, may be an important factor that promotes prostate cancer invasion of bone and may aid in identifying prostate cancer patients at higher risk of poor outcomes.  READ MORE Laser destroys cancer cells circulating in the blood IEEE Spectrum Tumor cells that spread cancer via the bloodstream face a new foe: a laser beam, shined from outside the skin, that finds and kills these metastatic little demons on the spot. In a study published today in Science Translational Medicine, researchers revealed that their system accurately detected these cells in 27 out of 28 people with cancer, with a sensitivity that is about 1,000 times better than current technology. That's an achievement in itself, but the research team was also able to kill a high percentage of the cancer-spreading cells, in real time, as they raced through the veins of the participants.  READ MORE Vitamin D supplements may help people with cancer live longer Healthline Vitamin D supplements, if taken for multiple years, may add years of life to those with cancer. In a recent study conducted at Michigan State University, researchers found that vitamin D, if taken for at least three years, could help people with cancer live longer.  READ MORE Drug to replace chemotherapy may reshape cancer care Bloomberg A class of drugs is emerging that can attack cancer cells in the body without damaging surrounding healthy ones. They have the potential to replace chemotherapy and its disruptive side effects, reshaping the future of cancer care. The complex biological medicines, called antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), have been in development for decades, and are now generating renewed excitement because of the success of one ADC in late-stage testing, a breast cancer treatment called DS-8201.  READ MORE Identifying colorectal cancer subtypes could lead to improved treatment decisions University of Southern California–Health Sciences via Science Daily Identifying a metastatic colorectal cancer patient's Consensus Molecular Subtype could help oncologists determine the most effective course of treatment. For example, Survival for CMS1 patients on bevacizumab was twice that of those on cetuximab, whereas survival for CMS2 patients on cetuximab was six months longer than for bevacizumab.  READ MORE Using immunotherapy in cancer patients prior to surgery Netherlands Cancer Institute via Technology Networks Physicians could possibly use immunotherapy in cancer patients more effectively. More and more voices are in favor of giving this new treatment before the surgeon removes a tumor instead of afterwards. This could have huge advantages, like a better immune response against the tumor. On May 31, physician-scientist Christian Blank and his colleagues from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, among others, publish new results in the prestigious journal The Lancet Oncology.  READ MORE Could gut bacteria drive the spread of breast cancer? Medical News Today Although the outlook of people with breast cancer has improved dramatically in recent years, predicting and preventing the spread of cancer to other parts of the body (metastasis) continues to be a major challenge in the medical community. New research in mice has discovered that disrupting the gut microbiome may result in more aggressive breast cancer.  READ MORE US cancer survivor tally to balloon, even as incidence is flat Medscape The total number of cancer survivors in the United States is projected to expand from the current 16.9 million Americans to more than 22.1 million by 2030, according to new research. The growth is occurring even though incidence rates are stable in women and declining in men.  READ MORE No link between cancer and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use in psoriatic arthritis Medical Xpress The results of a study presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) suggest that overall cancer risk is not linked to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use in psoriatic arthritis.  READ MORE Study: Nitrate pollution in US drinking water could lead to thousands of cancer cases CBS News A new study by the non-profit Environmental Working Group and researchers from Northeastern University found that nitrate pollution in U.S. drinking water could cause over 12,000 cases of cancer each year.  READ MORE  IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES Date Event June 15 ACS Call for NAPRC Fellows Closes June 16 AJCC Physician to Physician Webinar Pancreas June 30 NCDB Call for Data, Final Date for Initial Submissions and Corrections Due July 19-22 ACS Quality and Safety Conference, Washington, DC July 31 Commission on Cancer Paper Competition Deadline Oct. 1-31 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Oct. 27-31 ACS Clinical Congress, San Francisco, CA Nov. 21.22 Commission on Cancer Educational Summit, Rosemont, IL   The Brief Connect with AJCC Connect with CoC Connect with NAPBC Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Advertise | Web Version  Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469-420-2601 | Download media kit Ashley Harrington, Senior Content Editor, 469-420-2642 | Contribute news Disclaimer: The Brief is a digest of news selected for the American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs from thousands of sources by the editors of MultiBriefs, an independent organization that also manages and sells advertising. The American College of Surgeons and Cancer Programs do not endorse any of the advertised products and services. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not of the American College of Surgeons, and the Cancer Programs. American College of Surgeons 633 N Saint Clair Street | Chicago, IL, 60611-3211  | 800-621-4111 | Contact Us  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063