The Room Where It Happens: A Behind the Scenes Look at the NCCN Guidelines Development Process

Because they are exceptionally thorough, frequently updated, and based on a rigorous process, NCCN Guidelines are a widely recognized standard for clinical direction in oncology. Insight into the processes behind the development of the NCCN Guidelines can help fellows recognize the importance of consulting the Guidelines regularly and can strengthen their confidence regarding the recommendations within the Guidelines. These insights might also help these potential future NCCN Guidelines panel members to minimize their own potential conflicts of interest and be aware of their biases.

Target Audience

This program is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, PAs, pharmacists, and other health care professionals who manage patients with cancer.

Learning Objectives

Following this program, participants should be able to:

  • Explain the common considerations and approaches used by NCCN Guidelines panels when updating or developing NCCN Guidelines recommendations.
  • Describe how panels apply the NCCN Categories of Evidence and Consensus and the NCCN Categories of Preference to recommendations within NCCN Guidelines.
  • Delineate the ways in which NCCN manages conflict of interest and bias among Guidelines panel members.
Additional information
Supporters: 

This activity is supported by educational grants from Coherus BioSciences; Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; and Janssen Biotech, Inc., administered by Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC; and Novartis. This activity is supported by an independent medical education grant from AbbVie. This educational activity is supported by an independent medical education grant from GSK. This activity is supported by a grant from Pfizer, Inc.

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.25 AAPA Category 1 CME credit
  • 1.25 ACPE contact hours
  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.25 ANCC contact hours
  • 1.25 Participation
Course opens: 
06/30/2025
Course expires: 
03/01/2026
Cost:
$0.00
Part of: 
Recorded Presentations from the NCCN 2025 Oncology Fellows Program: New Horizons in Quality Cancer Care™

Moderator

Thomas W. Flaig, MD
University of Colorado Cancer Center

Panelists

Deborah A. Freedman-Cass, PhD
National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Alberto S. Pappo, MD
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Tara Sanft, MD
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

 

NCCN Continuing Education Disclosure Policy

It is the policy of NCCN that all planners, faculty, moderators, authors, reviewers and anyone involved in the planning and delivery of NCCN continuing education activities are expected to disclose ALL financial relationships they have had in the past 24 months with ineligible companies. The ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence require that individuals who refuse to provide this information will be disqualified from involvement in the planning and implementation of accredited continuing education presented by NCCN. NCCN identifies, mitigates and discloses to learners all relevant financial relationships.

In addition, all content has been reviewed to ensure education promotes safe, effective patient care and does not promote the products or services of an ineligible company. Content, including any presentation of therapeutic options, is fair, balanced, evidence-based, scientifically accurate, and free of commercial bias and marketing. 

Definitions  

Ineligible Company: An ineligible company is any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. 

Relevant Financial Relationships: Financial relationships of any dollar amount occurring within the past 24 months are defined as relevant if the educational content an individual can control is related to the business lines or products of an ineligible company. There is no minimum financial threshold. We ask for disclosure of ALL financial relationships with ineligible companies, regardless of the amount and regardless of the potential relevance of each relationship to the education.

Faculty Disclaimers

All faculty for this continuing education activity are competent in the subject matter and qualified by experience, training, and/or preparation for the tasks and methods of delivery.

Faculty presentations may include discussion of off-label use. Faculty will disclose that the use in question is not currently approved by the FDA per the product labeling or marketing.

Faculty Disclosures

The faculty listed below have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Deborah A. Freedman-Cass, PhD

The faculty listed below have the following relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose. All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

Thomas W. Flaig, MD
Agensys, Inc.: Grant/Research Support
Astellas Pharma US, Inc.: Grant/Research Support
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP: Grant/Research Support
Aurora Oncology: Equity Interest/Stock Options; Intellectual Property Rights
Bristol Myers Squibb: Grant/Research Support
Criterium: Consulting Fee; Scientific Advisor
Genentech, Inc.: Grant/Research Support
Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, LP: Grant/Research Support; Scientific Advisor
Merck & Co., Inc.: Grant/Research Support
sanofi-aventis U.S.: Grant/Research Support
SeaGen: Grant/Research Support

Alberto S. Pappo, MD
Eli Lilly and Company: Consulting Fee
Merck & Co., Inc.: Consulting Fee
Pfizer Inc.: Consulting Fee

Tara Sanft, MD
Biotheranostics, Inc., A Hologic Company: Honoraria

NCCN Staff Disclosures

None of the planners for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

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In support of improving patient care, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians
NCCN designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses
NCCN designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 contact hour.

Pharmacists
NCCN designates this knowledge-based continuing education activity for 1.0 contact hour (0.1 CEUs) of continuing education credit. UAN: JA4008196-0000-25-095-H01-P 

PAs
NCCN has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credit. Approval is valid until March 1, 2026. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Available Credit

  • 1.25 AAPA Category 1 CME credit
  • 1.25 ACPE contact hours
  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.25 ANCC contact hours
  • 1.25 Participation

Price

Cost:
$0.00
Please login or register to take this course.

Required Hardware/software

To complete this activity, users will need:

  • A device with an Internet connection and sound playback capability
    • One of the two latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
    • Internet Explorer is no longer supported
  • Adobe Reader or other PDF reader software for certificate viewing/printing