Traditionalcancer data collection has been primarily from hospitals. As medical advanceshave occurred, diagnosis and treatment of certain cancers has moved from theacute care setting to being fully cared for within a physician/medical officeand therefore never received and counted by the registry. The NCCR supplementshospital data with reports from non-hospital sources such as facilities andproviders who diagnose and/or treat cases that are not seen in a hospital. Inaddition, death certificates and pathology laboratory reports are used to helpidentify cases that are missed in this routine reporting by hospitals, healthcare facilities and providers of health care offices. Any duplicate reports areconsolidated in the data editing process. The purpose of this concerted effortis to alleviate under-reporting or a delay in reporting which can adverselyaffect incidence rates and research from incomplete data collection.
NCCR annually compiles comprehensive cancer datacollected for all years of operation and submits a report to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Program of Cancer Registries(NPCR) and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR)and for analysis, certifications, and inclusion in national cancer statistics.
Timely and complete cancer data are used to evaluate theappropriateness of measures for the prevention and control of cancer andconducting comprehensive epidemiological surveys of cancer and cancer-relateddeaths statewide and nationally.
NCCR is a vital tool for monitoring the incidence ofcancer within the state and sharing that information with health careprofessionals, researchers, and the general public.