National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Encyclopedia
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is an alliance of twenty-one cancer centers in the United States, most of which are designated by the National Cancer Institute
(one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health
) as comprehensive cancer centers. It is a non-profit organization
with offices in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
.
World-renowned experts from NCCN Member Institutions diagnose and treat patients with a broad spectrum of cancers and are recognized for dealing with complex, aggressive, or rare cancers. More than 160,000 new patients receive cancer care at NCCN Member Institutions over the course of any year. NCCN Member Institutions pioneered the concept of the multidisciplinary team approach to patient care and lead the fight against cancer as they integrate programs in patient care, research, and education. Our programs offer access to expert physicians, superior treatment, and quality and safety initiatives that continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cancer care. Forty-two Nobel Prize winners have served on the faculties of NCCN Member Institutions
The main activity of the organization is the development and publication of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). The NCCN Guidelines are a comprehensive set of guidelines detailing the sequential management decisions and interventions for the malignant cancers that affect 97 percent of all patients with cancer. They are developed by physicians at the member cancer centers through an explicit review of the evidence integrated with expert medical judgment. The NCCN Guidelines are available at no charge on NCCN.org.
Derivative products based on the NCCN Guidelines include the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium (NCCN Compendium) and the NCCN Chemotherapy Order Templates (NCCN Templates). The NCCN Compendium is designed to support decision-making about the appropriate use of drugs and biologics in patients with cancer. The NCCN Templates are designed to improve the safe and effective use of drugs and biologics in cancer care by standardizing regimens, reducing medication errors, and facilitating the anticipation and management of adverse events.
NCCN also develops the NCCN Guidelines for Patients, which are consumer-friendly translations of the NCCN Guidelines that physicians use. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients are designed to help patients with cancer play an active role in making treatment decisions that are best for them. These Guidelines are available on NCCN.com, NCCN's website for patients and caregivers.
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
(one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
) as comprehensive cancer centers. It is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
with offices in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.-Prior to the Revolutionary War:...
.
Mission and main activities
NCCN is dedicated to improving care along the continuum of cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. An alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, NCCN communicates sound, evaluative clinical information to enhance the decision-making processes of patients, physicians, and others who influence access to and the choice of cancer care.World-renowned experts from NCCN Member Institutions diagnose and treat patients with a broad spectrum of cancers and are recognized for dealing with complex, aggressive, or rare cancers. More than 160,000 new patients receive cancer care at NCCN Member Institutions over the course of any year. NCCN Member Institutions pioneered the concept of the multidisciplinary team approach to patient care and lead the fight against cancer as they integrate programs in patient care, research, and education. Our programs offer access to expert physicians, superior treatment, and quality and safety initiatives that continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cancer care. Forty-two Nobel Prize winners have served on the faculties of NCCN Member Institutions
The main activity of the organization is the development and publication of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). The NCCN Guidelines are a comprehensive set of guidelines detailing the sequential management decisions and interventions for the malignant cancers that affect 97 percent of all patients with cancer. They are developed by physicians at the member cancer centers through an explicit review of the evidence integrated with expert medical judgment. The NCCN Guidelines are available at no charge on NCCN.org.
Derivative products based on the NCCN Guidelines include the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium (NCCN Compendium) and the NCCN Chemotherapy Order Templates (NCCN Templates). The NCCN Compendium is designed to support decision-making about the appropriate use of drugs and biologics in patients with cancer. The NCCN Templates are designed to improve the safe and effective use of drugs and biologics in cancer care by standardizing regimens, reducing medication errors, and facilitating the anticipation and management of adverse events.
NCCN also develops the NCCN Guidelines for Patients, which are consumer-friendly translations of the NCCN Guidelines that physicians use. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients are designed to help patients with cancer play an active role in making treatment decisions that are best for them. These Guidelines are available on NCCN.com, NCCN's website for patients and caregivers.
Publications
- The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology are a set of practice guidelines for oncology developed by expert panels of oncologists. The guidelines published by NCCN cover 97% of cancers and are updated on a continual basis. The NCCN oncology guidelines are the most widely used guidelines in oncology practice and are used in over 115 countries. Information in each guideline is based on a review of scientific evidence from oncology trials and studies pertinent to a specific form of cancer.
- NCCN has created the NCCN Guidelines for Patients; based on the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, these are meant to help patients talk with their doctor about their treatment options. Patient guidelines are available for Breast Cancer and on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Additional guidelines are planned to be available by the end of 2010, with more in the following year.