Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Expansion Program: Patterns of Care Study- Diagnosis Year 2008

The National Cancer Institute has recently completed work on a plan for insuring quality care, "Cancer as a Working Model for Quality of Care Research and Application. This plan is complementary to the Department of Health and Human Services Quality Improvement Initiative. NCI has long been concerned with the provision of state-of-the-art therapy to all cancer patients and responded to its Congressional Mandate to report on the dissemination of state-of-the-art therapy into the community. Under Public Law 100-607, Sec. 413 (a)(2)(C) adopted November 4, 1988, Congress directed the National Cancer Institute to "assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice and the extent to which cancer patients receive such treatments and include the results of such assessment in the biennial reports...". NCI will continue to examine quality of care issues through the Patterns of Care Studies conducted by the SEER registries. These studies verify with the treating physician radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy and other therapies used in the treatment of the selected cancers. Additional information will be collected on surgery, pathologic margins, tumor characteristics, and hospital and physician characteristics.