Chronic Disease - Tracking - Cancer Registries

Cancer Registries: The Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Control

Cancer registries collect data about the occurrence of cancer (incidence), the types of cancer that occur, the body site of cancer, the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis (stage), the kinds of treatment received by cancer patients, and the outcome of treatment and clinical management (death or survival). Cancer data, reported to a central statewide registry from a variety of medical facilities, enable public health professionals to better understand and address the cancer burden. Cancer data help public health workers to direct effective cancer prevention and control programs, to focus on preventing risk behaviors for cancer (e.g., tobacco use, poor diet), and to reduce environmental risk factors.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Americans. One of every four deaths is from cancer. The cancer mortality rate in the United States rose from an age-adjusted rate of 143 per 100,000 population in 1930 to 166 in 1998. Effective prevention measures exist to substantially reduce new cases of cancer and prevent many cancer deaths. Reducing the nation’s cancer burden requires reducing the prevalence of behavioral and environmental factors that increase cancer risk, as well as ensuring that screening services and high-quality treatment are available and accessible, particularly to medically underserved populations.

Costs

The National Cancer Institute estimates the overall cost for cancer in 2001 was $180.2 billion, which includes health care expenditures and lost productivity from illness and death.

CDC Funding for the National Program of Cancer Registries, FY 2001

CDC Funding for the National Program of Cancer Registries, FY 2001. Click below for text description.

Source: CDC, National Program of Cancer Registries.

(A text version of this graphic is also available.)

CDC Goals

Importance of Cancer Registries

Data collected by registries can be used to describe the cancer burden at the state, regional, and national level; to help plan, implement, and evaluate cancer control activities; and to identify populations at risk for certain cancers. Registry data also facilitate studies in areas such as rare cancers, cancer among children or racial and ethnic minority populations, or occupation-related cancer. States have disseminated their registry data through many published articles and have applied their data in diverse ways.

CDC Activities

With FY 2001 appropriations of approximately $29 million to 45 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories, CDC‘s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) continues to support and enhance state cancer registries and promote use of data collected through these registries. CDC developed special research projects such as studies to examine patterns of cancer care in specific populations.

CDC’s NPCR presents a unique opportunity to strengthen cancer reporting in the United States. Beginning in FY 2001, CDC initiated the NPCR-Cancer Surveillance System (NPCR-CSS) designed to provide cancer incidence data that meet CDC’s responsibilities for public health surveillance. The database and infrastructure provided by such a system should be very helpful to partners and researchers conducting regional and national analyses. Data from the CDC’s NPCR-CSS and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program will be used to produce the first joint publication of government cancer statistics for all states having high-quality cancer data. This publication, anticipated in Fall 2002, will provide cancer statistics covering about 75% of the U.S. population.

Examples of State Activities

Kansas: Hospital administrators and physicians used cancer registry data to examine cancer care in various communities throughout the state. They found that people in some communities lacked access to radiation treatment centers and clinics. As a result, several new facilities were opened.

New York: Cancer registry data and state-of the-art mapping techniques are being used to produce county- and ZIP code-level maps of cancer incidence. Maps showing the distribution of cancer risk factors statewide are also being developed.

Texas: Public health officials are using cancer registry data to assess the completeness of prostate cancer reporting so that methods to improve case reporting can be identified and tested. Texas is one of several state registries to receive CDC funding for special prostate cancer projects.