The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) has appointed UC Davis breast cancer specialist Candice Sauder to its executive and educational committees. Sauder, an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, is investigating ways to improve cancer staging standards and validate systems for the classification and management of cancer, including advanced prognostic tools and resources. Cancer staging is the process of determining the degree to which cancer has progressed in the body and where it is located.
The AJCC's cancer staging references are accepted and used by the medical profession to select the most effective treatment, determine prognosis, and continue evaluating cancer control measures. Understanding the stage of cancer helps doctors develop a prognosis and design a treatment plan for individual patients. It also helps in identifying clinical trials that may be appropriate for particular patients.
Founded in 1959, the AJCC is administered by the Chicago-based American College of Surgeons.
