American Joint Commission

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) is an organization that develops standardized systems for describing the extent and severity of cancer. They create staging guidelines that help doctors determine how advanced a cancer is based on tumor size, spread to lymph nodes, and metastasis (spread to other parts of the body). This uniform staging allows for consistent communication among healthcare providers, helps in planning appropriate treatment, and provides a basis for predicting patient outcomes. The AJCC updates these standards regularly to reflect current research and improve accuracy in cancer diagnosis and management.