Cancer Protocol Templates

In response to user and member feedback, the CAP has moved to a twice yearly publication schedule for the CAP Cancer Protocols. If there are updates, revisions, or new protocols to be released, this will be done on a February and August schedule.

The CAP Cancer Reporting Protocols provide guidelines for collecting the essential data elements for complete reporting of malignant tumors and optimal patient care.

The CAP Biomarker Reporting Protocols are intended to provide reporting guidance for commonly ordered biomarkers and are not currently required for accreditation purposes.

• Read the cancer protocol frequently asked questions.
• Download the definition of Synoptic Reporting With Examples.
• Visit the cancer protocol resources webpage to read about current issues with units of measurements.
• Integrate the Cancer Protocol & Biomarker Templates into your LIS workflow. Learn about our eCC (electronic Cancer Checklists) and eFRM (electronic Forms and Reporting Module)
• Download a compressed file containing all of current CAP cancer protocols.
• The February 2019 release includes 24 revised and 2 new cancer protocols. Download the summary of revisions and public comments.
• Download the summary of required elements.
• Visit the ASCO Molecular Oncology Tumor Board for bi-monthly user-driven discussions.
• Provide your feedback about the CAP cancer protocols to cprotoc@cap.org.

Current and previous cancer reporting and biomarker reporting protocols can be downloaded using the links in the table below.

# Cancer Reporting and Biomarker Reporting Protocols with the # notation in the table below have changes in the August 2018 release that do not affect the core elements. The earlier date denotes the last time the core elements were changed and coincides with the date noted in the documents.

© 2019 College of American Pathologists (CAP). All rights reserved.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) does not permit reproduction of any substantial portion of these protocols without its written authorization. The CAP hereby authorizes use of these protocols by physicians and other health care providers in reporting on surgical specimens, in teaching, and in carrying out medical research for nonprofit purposes. This authorization does not extend to reproduction or other use of any substantial portion of these protocols for commercial purposes without the written consent of the CAP.

The CAP also authorizes physicians and other health care practitioners to make modified versions of the Protocols solely for their individual use in reporting on surgical specimens for individual patients, teaching, and carrying out medical research for non-profit purposes.

The CAP further authorizes the following uses by physicians and other health care practitioners, in reporting on surgical specimens for individual patients, in teaching, and in carrying out medical research for non-profit purposes: (1) Dictation from the original or modified protocols for the purposes of creating a text-based patient record on paper, or in a word processing document; (2) Copying from the original or modified protocols into a text-based patient record on paper, or in a word processing document; (3) The use of a computerized system for items (1) and (2), provided that the protocol data is stored intact as a single text-based document, and is not stored as multiple discrete data fields.

Other than uses (1), (2), and (3) above, the CAP does not authorize any use of the Protocols in electronic medical records systems, pathology informatics systems, cancer registry computer systems, computerized databases, mappings between coding works, or any computerized system without a written license from the CAP.

Any public dissemination of the original or modified protocols is prohibited without a written license from the CAP.

Used with permission of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), Chicago, Illinois. The original and primary source for this information is the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Eighth Edition (2016) published by Springer Science+Business Media.

The CAP developed these protocols as an educational tool to assist pathologists in the useful reporting of relevant information. It did not issue the protocols for use in litigation, reimbursement, or other contexts. Nevertheless, the CAP recognizes that the protocols might be used by hospitals, attorneys, payers, and others. Indeed, effective January 1, 2004, the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons mandated the use of the required data elements of the protocols as part of its Cancer Program Standards for Approved Cancer Programs. Therefore, it becomes even more important for pathologists to familiarize themselves with these documents. At the same time, the CAP cautions that use of the protocols other than for their intended educational purpose may involve additional considerations that are beyond the scope of this document.

The inclusion of a product name or service in a CAP publication should not be construed as an endorsement of such product or service, nor is failure to include the name of a product or service to be construed as disapproval.

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