Commission on Cancer Approves VA Program

The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted approval to the cancer program at the Houston Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1932, the Approvals Program sets standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to make sure they conform to those standards. Recognizing that cancer is a complex group of diseases, the program promotes consultation among surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary cooperation results in improved patient care.

Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:

• Quality care close to home,
  
  
• Comprehensive care offering a range of state-of-the art services and equipment,
  
  
• A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options available to cancer patients,
  
  
• Information about cancer clinical trials, education, and support,
  
  
• Lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results, and
  
  
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.

Approval by the Commission on Cancer is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide diagnosis and treatment of cancer and to undergo a rigorous evaluation process and a review of its performance. In order to maintain approval, facilities with approved cancer programs must undergo an on-site review every three years,

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 1,268,000 cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2001. Slightly more than one-fifth of the country's hospitals have approved cancer programs, and more than 80 percent of patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer are treated in these facilities.

The Commission on Cancer is comprised of Fellows of the American College of Surgeons and other members representing 36 national cancer-related organizations. Postgraduate courses, symposia, and programs about cancer are developed by the Commission for health care professionals involved in cancer care.

Working with the American Cancer Society, the Cancer Liaison Program of the Commission on Cancer is supported by more than 1,500 voluntary Liaison Physicians who support cancer-control initiatives and. the cancer program activities locally. The Commission also tracks national, regional, and local cancer-care patterns and trends through the National Cancer Database, another joint project with the American Cancer Society.

In addition, the Commission sets standards for cancer registry data collection used by all approved cancer programs and conducts national quality management and improvement studies for specific cancer sites. Results of these studies are used by cancer program leadership to monitor and improve patient care.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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