Two new NCCN guidelines for patients with colon and prostrate cancer

In order to provide people with cancer and their caregivers state-of-the-art treatment information in patient-friendly language, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) has developed two new publications: a new release of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients^™: Colon Cancer and an update to the NCCN Guidelines for Patients^™: Prostate Cancer. The guidelines provide a framework to help people with cancer talk with their physician about the best treatment options.

According to the 2012 annual report from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) (Seigel, Naishadham, & Jemal, 2012), colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States. The newly released NCCN Guidelines for Patients^™: Colon Cancer include a treatment guide covering the different stages of colon cancer from early detection and diagnosis throughout treatment, across the entire continuum of care. The guidelines describe tests and treatment options for colon cancer, along with treatment side effects. A thorough glossary is included to aid patients with medical terminology. These guidelines suggest the best practice for colon cancer care and support enrollment into clinical trials when appropriate.

Prostate cancer is a complex disease; fortunately there is a dearth of sound data to support treatment recommendations. NCCN's Guidelines for Patients^™: Prostate Cancer cover several variables (including life expectancy, disease characteristics, predicted outcomes, and patient preferences) that should be considered by the patient and the physician in tailoring prostate cancer therapy to the individual patient. The guidelines provide information that will help people with prostate cancer and their friends and family understand the cancer, and further to help them talk with their cancer care team about the best treatment options. In particular, the guidelines give treatment recommendations based on the characteristics of the cancer possible side effects of treatments, and a side-by-side comparison of the main benefits and disadvantages of the treatments for prostate cancer.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) are the most widely used guidelines in oncology practice; physicians around the globe use the NCCN Guidelines when determining appropriate cancer treatment for their patients. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients^™ present the same information that physicians use when making treatment decisions for people with cancer, and provide it in an easy-to-understand format.