The National Comprehensive Cancer Network: present and future directions

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has developed an extensive set of practice guidelines that cover approximately 90% of all cancer patients. These guidelines are steadily becoming the standard for clinical and coverage policy. The guideline development process is integrated directly with the development of a multiinstitutional data base that will permit measurement of adherence of practice to the NCCN guidelines and provide important clinical and other outcomes data. The NCCN is forming partnerships with managed care companies in the guideline/data base area to facilitate the delivery of more effective and efficient care in oncology.