Cancer Registry

A cancer registry is an organized system that collects information on every cancer diagnosed in a defined population or hospital, including the type of cancer, where in the body it arose, the date of diagnosis, the stage and the patient's survival. Population registries are the main source of national mesothelioma incidence figures.

Origin

Population-based cancer registries began in Europe and North America in the first half of the 20th century. In the United States, the National Cancer Institute's SEER program began collecting data in 1973, and Congress created CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries in 1992, so that today every state has a central registry. Some countries keep dedicated mesothelioma registries.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Registries supply the incidence numbers used in almost all asbestos epidemiology, including the expected counts behind standardized incidence ratios and long-term trends in mesothelioma. They also show how mesothelioma is spread across age, sex and region, and help researchers find clusters near mines, plants or shipyards. Registry data have limits. Most U.S. registries do not record occupation or asbestos exposure, so they cannot by themselves show cause. Accuracy depends on correct pathology and coding, and mesothelioma is sometimes misclassified as another cancer or recorded with an unspecified site. In litigation, registry statistics are often used to describe background rates, for example in arguments about how often mesothelioma occurs without known asbestos exposure. Those arguments depend on assumptions, because missing exposure histories are not the same as no exposure. Hospital registries also keep treatment and follow-up information, which can help when reconstructing a person's medical history.

Example Sentence

The state cancer registry recorded 85 new mesothelioma cases in the county over ten years, about twice the number expected for its population.

Related Terms

SEER, Incidence, Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR), ICD-10 Code C45, Mesothelioma Misclassification, Mesothelioma Cluster, Idiopathic Mesothelioma

Notes

• Registries usually do not contact patients or families directly; their records are confidential and mainly used for research.
• Hospital records, not registry data, are what you will need for your own claim.