Every patient with suspected or confirmed cancer requires accurate diagnosis and staging to guide treatment planning and to make informed patient care decisions. Physicians and surgeons have traditionally used narrative writing to report findings from investigative tests, surgical procedures and examination of tumour specimens. However, research has demonstrated that narrative reporting does not consistently provide the information required to make optimal treatment decisions. One response to the suboptimal content of the narrative report has been the development of a synoptic template that captures data items in a structured, standardized manner; it contains only those elements deemed meaningful to understanding the biology of the disease and subsequent implications for patient care. This article uses the example of colorectal cancer to examine the role of synoptic reporting in improving the quality of care provided to cancer patients, and discusses current and future Canadian initiatives in this area.