Quality Measures Reported in NDCB RCS
The multidisciplinary Commission on Cancer (CoC) through the Quality Assurance and Data Committee (QADC) convenes clinical experts from around the country to develop and maintain quality measures. These evidence-based measures are based on best practices and are designed to be assessed at the hospital or systems level. Each measure was developed using standardized cancer registry data fields with the expectation that cancer registries would be used to collect the necessary data to assess and monitor concordance with the measures. Extensive assessment and validation of the measures were performed using cancer registry data reported to the National Cancer Database (NCDB). All measures are subject to revision to reflect contemporary clinical practice as well as to conform to the periodic changes to registry data items.
For more information on the quality measures, please log in to the Rapid Cancer Reporting System (RCRS) and navigate to the user library.
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Updates to Quality Measures
The CoC under the guidance of the QADC annually reviews, and periodically recommends, clinical changes to the portfolio of quality measures reported in the RCRS. The QADC updates the portfolio to ensure all measures are contemporary with current best practices and that maximized measures are retired to make way for new measures.
As of August 15, 2024, six new quality measures were added, which includes four new primary sites.
New Primary Sites
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- Bladder
- Cervix
- Kidney
- Prostate
New Quality Measures
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- BLCT1: For patients with low grade Ta bladder cancer undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumor, intravesical chemotherapy* is initiated within 24 hours of the procedure, or recommended.
- *chemotherapy within 24 hours of the transurethral resection assumed to be intravesical however the NCDB does not differentiate this from systemic chemotherapy
- BneoCT: For patients <=75 years old with HER2+ or triple negative breast cancer with any clinical N > 0 or clinical T > 1, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy is initiated within 60 days of diagnosis, or recommended.
- CBRRT: For patients with any stage cervical cancer treated with primary radiation with curative intent, brachytherapy is used.
- KPN: For patients with surgically managed, cT1a kidney tumors, partial nephrectomy is performed.
- PTSRV: For patients with low-risk prostate cancer (Gleason <= 6 and PSA < 10 and <= cT2), active surveillance is performed.
- RneoRT: For patients with surgically treated clinical T4NanyM0 or TanyN2M0 rectal cancer, neoadjuvant radiation therapy is initiated within 9 months prior to resection or recommended.
Impact on CoC Standard 7.1: Quality Measures
Due to the measure transitions planned for 2023–2024 and to allow programs time to adjust to these changes, program activity from 2023 and 2024 for Standard 7.1 will not be rated at future site visits. Additionally, 2023 site visits (which evaluate activity from 2020, 2021, and 2022) and 2024 site visits (which evaluate activity from 2021, 2022, and 2023) will not provide a compliant or non-compliant rating for Standard 7.1. However, site reviewers may discuss previous quality measure compliance and action plans with programs during these site visits.
During the calendar years 2023–2024, although programs are not being rated on this activity, they are still expected to review the new and updated measures as they are released and discuss the measures with their cancer committees.
Activity for Standard 7.1 compliance will resume in the near future. It is strongly recommended that programs keep an eye on the Cancer Program News for updates.
Questions on quality measure updates may be submitted to NCDB@facs.org. Questions on Standard 7.1 may be submitted to the CAnswer Forum.
