Recommendations for the reporting of gastric carcinoma.

It has been evident for decades that pathology reports vary between institutions and even within a single institution. Standardization of reporting is the best way to ensure that information necessary for patient management is included in pathology reports. Two societies, the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology (ADASP) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) have published guidelines for the reporting of common cancers. Although not identical, the basic content of the ADASP and CAP guidelines are similar. The American College of Surgery Commission on Cancer (COC) accredits cancer centers in the United States. The ADASP has updated all of its protocols to comply with COC requirements in the form of 37 uniform checklists. The checklists utilize criteria sited in the American Joint Committee on Cancer 2002 staging manual and are formatted for ease of use. They may be used as templates for uniform reporting and are designed be compatible with voice-activated transcription.