Appropriate use of surgical procedures for patients with cancer

With increasing focus on improving quality and promoting patient-centered care, ensuring that patients receive appropriate surgical procedures is paramount. The appropriateness method was developed to determine which patients should and should not undergo surgical intervention versus medical therapy. This method combines the best available evidence in the literature with expert opinion to produce explicit guidance for clinicians on the relative risks and benefits of a procedure for specific clinical indications. A coordinated effort to produce appropriateness criteria for surgical oncology could improve the quality of surgical care for patients with cancer if these criteria are integrated into routine clinical practice.