NCCN Guidelines® vs PLCOm2012 LCRC

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), is pleased to present the Virtual Library of NCCN Guidelines® app formatted for iPhone & iPad. This easy-to-use and convenient format will further assist health care professionals in their implementation of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), thus improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. NCCN is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. By defining and advancing high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers around the world. Over the past 25 years, NCCN has developed an integrated suite of tools to improve the quality of cancer care. The NCCN Guidelines® document evidence-based, consensus-driven management to ensure that all patients receive preventive, diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services that are most likely to lead to optimal outcomes. The NCCN Guidelines are a comprehensive set of guidelines detailing the sequential management decisions and interventions that apply to 97 percent of cancer cases in the United States. In addition, separate guidelines relate to major prevention and screening topics and another set of pathways focuses on the major supportive care areas. The NCCN Guidelines provide recommendations based on the best evidence available at the time they are derived. Because new data are published continuously, it is essential that the NCCN Guidelines also be continuously updated and revised to reflect new data and new clinical information. The intent of the NCCN Guidelines is to assist in the decision-making process of individuals involved in cancer care—including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, payers, patients and their families—with the ultimate goal of improving patient care and outcomes. The NCCN Guidelines provide recommendations for appropriate care for most but not all patients; however, individual patient circumstances must be considered when applying these recommendations. Visit NCCN.org to learn more about the NCCN Guidelines as well as other NCCN Content.

This app is for use by people who currently smoke or used to smoke. It is a lung cancer risk calculator. It calculates your six-year risk of developing lung cancer based on your age, formal education, height and weight, family history of lung cancer, your cancer and lung health history, and your smoking history. There are two versions of the app. The only difference is one version, PLCOm2012 includes race as an input and the other version, PLCOm2012noRace does not have race as an input. The PLCOm2012noRace version is appropriate for use outside of the United States. You can take the risk calculated by this app to your health care professional and discuss if you should be screened for lung cancer and to see if you are eligible for screening in your area. This app can also be used by health care professionals with their patients to assess risk of lung cancer in a shared decision-making discussion about the benefits and potential risks of screening. The calculator is based on the PLCOm2012 lung cancer risk prediction model developed by Professor Martin Tammemägi. It has been validated by many researchers in multiple countries and is used in lung cancer screening studies, pilots and programs around the world. The PLCOm2012 app version has been simplified by reducing race/ethnic categories from 7 to 3. The PLCOm2012noRace app has been simplified by taking race out as an input. Performance of the modified models are almost identical to the initial model and in some measures are improved. Any information you enter into this application will only be stored on your device while you are using the risk calculator. All input fields will be reset after you exit the app. The PLCOm2012 and PLCOm2012noRace LCRC apps work off-line and do not use internet connections. Your personal information is not collected or stored anywhere outside of your smartphone, so it is not possible for your information to be shared with others. The PLCOm2012 and PLCOm2012noRace LCRC apps were developed as a public service by epidemiologist Martin Tammemägi DVM, MSc, PhD and patient advocate Andrea Borondy Kitts MS, MPH. They are provided free of charge and free of advertising to the general public and the medical community. Disclaimer The content of the PLCOm2012 and PLCOm2012noRace LCRC apps are based on scientific research. But information provided here should not be substituted for a physician’s evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment. Your doctor is the most appropriate person to provide you with guidance on specific health issues. If you are currently ill or have symptoms, seek the help of your health care provider. If you currently smoke, one of the most important health decisions you can make, is to quit smoking. Your doctor should be able to help you quit more successfully. No cancer prediction model is 100% accurate. It is important to appreciate that some individuals with low predicted risks will develop lung cancer, and not all individuals with high risk scores will develop lung cancer. We provide the PLCOm2012 and PLCOm2012noRace Lung Cancer Risk Calculators apps (PLCOm2012 and PLCOm2012noRace LCRC apps) as a public service only and you use them at your own risk.