Assessing the Effectiveness and Significance of the Operative Standards Program (AESOP)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has funded the Assessing the Effectiveness and Significance of the Operative Standards Program (AESOP) study. AESOP is a 5-year, multi-institutional initiative that seeks to evaluate the implementation and impact of the CoC Operative Standards through three primary aims:

• Evaluate compliance with the CoC Operative Standards across cancer and hospital types
• Assess guideline- and organizational-level barriers and facilitators of implementation
• Determine the impact of the CoC Operative Standards on oncologic outcomes, such as 2-year cancer recurrence. 

Leadership

• Lesly A. Dossett, MD, MPH, FACS, Co-Primary Investigator
• Daniel Boffa, MD, MBA, FACS, Co-Primary Investigator
• Judy Boughey, MD, FACS, Co-Investigator
• Ronald Weigel, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, Co-Investigator
• Amanda Francescatti, MS, CRP Senior Manager
• Elizabeth Funk, MSW, AESOP Project Manager

Special Study 2027

In late summer 2027, the Commission on Cancer (CoC), in collaboration with the National Cancer Database, Cancer Research Program, and Cancer Surgery Standards Program, will launch a CoC Special Study as part of the AESOP grant. This Special Study will evaluate if the CoC Operative Standards improve short-term oncologic outcomes across breast, colon, rectal, and lung cancer.

References and Suggestions for Further Reading

Additional resources on the CoC Operative Standards can be found on the CSSP Operative Standards Toolkit.