The AJCC was founded by two organizations. Which pair is correct?

• A. American College of Surgeons and American Cancer Society
• B. American College of Surgeons and International Union Against Cancer
• C. American College of Surgeons and College of American Pathologists
• D. American College of Surgeons and SEER

Answer: (C)

The main idea is about who created a standardized cancer staging system by combining surgical and pathology expertise. The AJCC was formed by the American College of Surgeons, bringing surgical and oncologic insight, together with the College of American Pathologists, supplying pathology expertise in tumor characterization. This collaboration established a unified framework for staging cancer (the TNM system) that clinicians across many disciplines use to describe disease extent and guide treatment and prognosis.

Other options involve organizations or programs that aren’t the founders of AJCC—one is an international cancer organization, and another is a national cancer registry program. Neither pair represents the historical origin of AJCC.