Cleveland Clinic’s rectal cancer programme earns three-year accreditation
US-based Cleveland Clinic’s rectal cancer programme has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). It is the first scheme of its kind to earn the NAPRC accreditation, which has only been awarded to four sites in the US.
The programme was launched in 2017 and is administered by the American College of Surgeons. In order to earn the accreditation, the programme was required to meet 19 standards, which included the presence of a rectal cancer multidisciplinary team that involved clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology. Other standards address clinical services that the programme was required to provide, such as CEA testing, MRI and CT imaging for cancer staging, and ensuring a process whereby the patient starts treatment within a defined timeframe.
“We are very proud that our team received this recognition,” said Dr Matthew Kalady, Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Program. “Rectal cancer requires the expertise of many medical and surgical specialties, and working together as one team is critical so that patients receive the most appropriate and highest-quality care. We have always approached rectal cancer care with a multidisciplinary approach, and receiving this accreditation affirms that our management of patients with rectal cancer meets the highest standards.”