BRG Earns Top National Recognition for Rectal Cancer Care
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Baton Rouge General has earned re-accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) for providing the highest level of care in treating rectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women and is the deadliest cancer in people under 50. Incidence rates among ages 20-49 have increased by about 3% per year, and about 75% of cases in this age group are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Rectal cancer now accounts for 1 in 3 colorectal cancer diagnoses.
Hospitals with NAPRC accreditation see better outcomes for patients with rectal cancer -- which involves complex treatment -- including fewer complications and improved survival rates. One recent study found that NAPRC-accredited hospitals saw significantly fewer cases where cancer cells remained at the edges of a tumor after surgery.
NAPRC is a quality program administered by the American College of Surgeons. To achieve accreditation, a rectal center must demonstrate compliance with the NAPRC standards addressing program management, clinical services, and quality improvement for patients. Centers are required to establish a multidisciplinary rectal cancer team that includes clinical representatives from surgery, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology. At BRG, Dr. Scott Daugherty serves as the rectal cancer program director, overseeing the hospital’s NAPRC accredited rectal cancer program.
There are often no symptoms in the early stages of rectal cancer, so regular screening colonoscopies are recommended starting at age 45 for people at average risk, and earlier if there is family history or other factors that increase risk. This includes a history of inflammatory bowel disease, and colon or rectal polyps.
BRG is the only hospital in the state with all three key cancer program accreditations from the American College of Surgeons: Commission on Cancer (CoC), NAPRC, and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). BRG was the first hospital in Louisiana to earn NAPBC accreditation in 2009.
For more information on NAPRC accreditation, click here. For more information on cancer care at BRG, click here.
About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, and Internal Medicine Residency Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.
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