Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA, of the Research Advocacy Network, discusses, from the perspective of a patient advocate, the value of the NCCN guidelines and the impact they have made on cancer care.
Wui-Jin Koh, MD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, discusses the program to adapt NCCN guidelines to regions of the world with different resource availability. The first guideline to be adapted in this way is for cervical cancer, which is prevalent in the developing world.
Although guidelines worldwide mandate fertility preservation for newly diagnosed patients within their reproductive window, most patients are still not referred or offered this option. Rebecca H. Johnson, MD, of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, explains the steps that need to be taken when counseling patients.
Axel Grothey, MD, of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, discusses how the NCCN Guidelines can help oncologists make strategic choices of the various agents available to treat metastatic colorectal cancer, individualizing patient care.
Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and William J. Gradishar, MD, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, discuss the evolution of the breast cancer guidelines, the inclusion of varied fields––such as plastic surgery, pathology, patient advocacy, and radiation–– and new treatment changes.
Samuel M. Silver, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and David S. Ettinger, MD, of The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, discuss the evolution of the NCCN Guidelines, the importance of including palliative care and survivorship recommendations, and the use of the guidelines in community practices.
