What to Know: ASCO's Guidelines

What to Know: ASCO's Guidelines are easy-to-read summaries based on ASCO Clinical Practice Guidelines that offer a patient-oriented view of the guidelines: providing background information, discussing the recommendations, explaining what those recommendations mean for patients, and providing a list of questions patients can ask their doctors for more information.  The date on each guideline is when ASCO last published an update in response to new or revised scientific evidence. Each guideline listed here is considered the best available information on this topic to date.

All guides are available in text or in PDF format.

Selected What to Know guides have been translated into Spanish and are available in Cancer.Net's En Espanol section.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Drugs to Lower Breast Cancer Risk
May 26, 2009

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. In 2002, ASCO updated a clinical practice guideline from 1999 on the use of drugs to help lower the risk of breast cancer. This guideline was expanded again in 2009 to update the recommendations for the drug raloxifene (Evista) as a way to lower the risk of breast cancer for some women. This guide for patients is based on these updated ASCO recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors for Prostate Cancer Prevention
February 24, 2009

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO and the American Urological Association (AUA) together developed recommendations for the use of 5-ARIs to help lower the risk of prostate cancer in men. This guide for patients is based on their recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Preventing and Treating Blood Clots
October 29, 2007

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO developed a clinical practice guideline about preventing and treating blood clots for people with cancer. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Adjuvant Treatment for Lung Cancer
October 22, 2007

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO and Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) together developed recommendations for treatment after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer. This patient guide is based on their recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Tumor Markers for Breast Cancer
October 22, 2007

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. In 2001, ASCO published a clinical practice guideline about tumor markers for breast and colorectal cancers. The scope of this guideline was expanded and updated in 2007 and recently updated in 2009. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations and focuses specifically on breast cancer.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Epoetin and Darbepoetin Treatment
October 22, 2007

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. In 2002, ASCO and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) together published a clinical practice guideline about the use of epoetin for chemotherapy-related anemia. This guideline was expanded and updated in 2007 to include a similar medication, called darbepoetin. This patient guide is based on the ASCO/ASH recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Bisphosphonates for Multiple Myeloma
May 21, 2007

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. In 2002, ASCO published a clinical practice guideline about bisphosphonate treatment for multiple myeloma. The scope of this guideline was expanded and updated in 2007. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Hormone Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer
April 2, 2007

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, ASCO asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. In 2004, ASCO published a clinical practice guideline about hormone therapy for advanced prostate cancer. This guideline was updated in 2007 to reflect developments in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on HER2 Testing for Breast Cancer
December 11, 2006

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) issued a joint clinical practice guideline about human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) testing for breast cancer. This patient guide is based on these recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Tumor Markers for Gastrointestinal Cancers
October 23, 2006

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, ASCO asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO recently updated a clinical practice guideline about the use of tumor markers in gastrointestinal cancers. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Follow-Up Care for Breast Cancer
October 10, 2006

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, ASCO asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO recently updated a clinical practice guideline about follow-up care for breast cancer. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Preserving the Larynx During Cancer Treatment
July 3, 2006

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, ASCO asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO recently issued a clinical practice guideline about larynx preservation. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Preventing Nausea and Vomiting Caused by Cancer Treatment
May 22, 2006

To help doctors give their patients the best possible care, ASCO asks its medical experts to develop recommendations for specific areas of cancer care. ASCO recently updated a clinical practice guideline about preventing nausea and vomiting. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on White Blood Cell Growth Factors
May 8, 2006

ASCO recently updated a clinical practice guideline about the use of white blood cell growth factors. This patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Fertility Preservation
May 1, 2006

ASCO recently issued a clinical practice guideline about fertility preservation in people treated for cancer, and this patient guide is based on ASCO's recommendations. This guideline is the first in a series of guidelines from ASCO to address cancer survivorship issues.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Follow-Up Care for Colorectal Cancer
October 31, 2005

ASCO recently updated a clinical practice guideline about follow-up care for patients with stage II or III colorectal cancer. To help people living with cancer understand their cancer care, ASCO created this patient guide, which is based on ASCO's recommendations for follow-up care for colorectal cancer.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Stage Breast Cancer
September 12, 2005

The information in this guide discusses the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) in early stage breast cancer. SNB is a procedure where one or a few lymph nodes are removed from under the arm and examined for evidence of cancer.

What to Know: Aromatase Inhibitors for Early Breast Cancer
November 15, 2004

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a newer class of hormone treatments that are designed to reduce the amount of estrogen in a woman's body. Aromatase is an enzyme the body uses in the production of estrogen. AIs slow or stop the growth of breast cancers that are controlled by estrogen by lowering levels of estrogen in a woman's body.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Stage II Colon Cancer
August 16, 2004

The information in this guide discusses the treatment option of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage II colon cancer.

What to Know: ASCO's Guideline on Bisphosphonates for Breast Cancer
August 1, 2003

This guide discusses a type of drug called bisphosphonates that may be offered to people with advanced (metastatic) breast cancer. These drugs have been shown, in many cases, to reduce the negative effects that breast cancer has on bone. These drugs have not, however, been shown to extend life or slow the growth of cancer.