New Editorial on CoC Standard 5.5 Published in the JACS

In an editorial recently published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS), “Setting the Standard for Cutaneous Melanoma Wide Local Excision: An Overview of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Standard 5.5,” authors from the Cancer Surgery Standards Program (CSSP) review the objectives of the ACS Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards with a specific focus on Standard 5.5, which pertains to curative intent wide local excision of primary cutaneous melanoma lesions.

The article reviews the details and rationale of the standard itself, including its focus on evidence-based best practices and its requirement to include specific elements and responses in synoptic format in operative reports. We encourage staff at CoC-accredited facilities to review and share with providers at their facility performing wide local excisions. Questions can be directed to cssp@facs.org.