American Joint Commission on Cancer

Definition

The American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) is an organization dedicated to creating and promoting a universal system of classifying tumors according to their location in the body and involvement with surrounding tissues.

Description

Created in 1959, the AJCC works with the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), its European counterpart, and other organizations to standardize cancer-related information and data collection. The AJCC bases its classification on the TNM staging system, a universally accepted method of describing the extent of cancer, and other clinical information. The result is a standardized method of categorizing tumors that helps physicians to predict patient prognosis and develop treatment guidelines. The AJCC periodically publishes its Cancer Staging Manual, which is used widely by health care professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.

See Also Tumor staging

Tamara Brown, R.N.