Tag Archives: Cancer staging

June 2021—For the June 2021 release of updates for the CAP cancer protocols and the corresponding electronic cancer checklists used by electronic health record vendors, pTX and pNX will no longer be selectable options for use by pathologists when assigning pathologic staging based on definitive surgical resection (pTNM). This change is coming after extensive discussions with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and with its unanimous endorsement. Why are we making this change?

April 2021—In the continuum of cancer care, diagnostic specialties such as ours play critical roles. We touch virtually all aspects of cancer care through cancer diagnostics, the use of molecular studies in treatment and as predictive markers, and our key role in anatomic pathologic staging. The widespread use of the CAP cancer protocols has improved cancer reporting by standardizing format and terminology while also incorporating the concept of human factors engineering and standards for developing high-quality clinical practice guidelines.