title: Pathology reporting of resected colorectal cancers in New South Wales in 2000.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which pathology reporting of colorectal cancers notified to the New South Wales Central Cancer Registry during 2000 conformed to guidelines promulgated by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
  
  
  METHODS
  De-identified reports for 2233 resected specimens of primary invasive colorectal carcinoma were coded according to a standardized system to compile information on 28 clinical and pathology features. An overall score for each report was calculated by computing the number out of 13 essential features specified in the guidelines for which data had been recorded explicitly and unambiguously in the report.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall score ranged from 3 to 13 features with a mean of 9. No more than 7 features were reported explicitly in just less than one quarter of the reports and no more than 10 in three quarters. There were only 110 reports (4.9%) that included all features. Information on direct spread and nodal metastasis was well reported; resection margins less so. Many reports lacked information on metastases beyond the operative field, the involvement of deep or circumferential resection margins and tumour stage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In some respects pathology reports of resected colorectal cancer specimens displayed a high level of completeness. Some important features, however, were poorly described. Reporting could be improved if surgeons were to use a standardized form to convey clinical information to the pathologist and if pathologists were to report in a structured or synoptic format, explicitly recording the presence or absence of each feature in a standard list.
authors.affiliation: Colorectal Surgical Unit, Concord Hospital, and Discipline of Surgery, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. pchapuis@surgery.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: Pierre H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chapuis
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Betty P C
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Allan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Spigelman
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: Owen F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Dent
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries