Significance of Cancer Registry

Quality cancer data is an important part of cancer management programs and efforts to prevent the disease and treatment measures. This article examines the significance of cancer registry and cancer registrars in the process of collecting quality cancer data. The discussion incorporates determining what a cancer registry is and the role of the cancer registrar in the process. AHIMA requirements for credentialing as a certified tumor registrar and maintaining the certification are also discussed. The author concludes with an evaluation of the role of certified tumor registrar in the American Cancer Society.

Cancer Registry

The availability of quality cancer data is integral to the fight against cancer throughout the country. The significance of quality cancer data has contributed to the development and establishment of cancer registrars that help in capturing such data. The registrars capture important information related to this disease i.e. history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status for all patients in the country. The information in the cancer registrars is used by researchers, public health professionals, and healthcare providers in carrying out research, enhancing cancer prevention programs, improved evaluation of cancer treatments.

What is a Cancer Registry?

A cancer registry can be described as a systematic collection of important information or data regarding cancer and tumor diseases. The information or data is gathered by Cancer Registrars, which capture summary of history, analysis, treatment, and status of every patient in America and other countries. According to Jensen & Storm (1991), a cancer registry is a crucial part of any coherent programme of cancer control (p.7). The data in a cancer registry can be utilized in various areas of cancer control and prevention including etiological research, health care planning, prevention initiatives, and patient care in order to benefit individuals and the society. Generally, the main goal of a cancer registry is to gather and categorize information on all cancer cases to help in generating statistics on the incidences of cancer and provide a mechanism for evaluating and controlling the effect of cancer on the society.

There are three different types of cancer registries i.e. population-based cancer registries, special purpose cancer registries, and hospital-based cancer registries. The population-based cancer registries are used to evaluate the rate of occurrence of new cancer cases annually in well-defined populations over a particular time period. The evaluation is carried out through gathering case reports from several sources such as clinicians and treatment centers. In contrast, hospital-based cancer registries are geared towards the enhancement of cancer therapy through gathering comprehensive data regarding diagnosis and therapy. As the name suggests, special purpose registries maintain data or information regarding a certain type of cancer (National Cancer Registrars Association, 2014).

What is the Role of the Cancer Registrar?

Cancer registrars can be described as data information specialists who play a crucial role in the development of a cancer registry. These specialists are responsible for obtaining important information regarding the disease. They collect information that helps in generating a summary of complete history, diagnosis, treatment, and the health condition of every cancer patient in America as well as other countries. As previously mentioned, the information collected by cancer registrars is in turn used by various heath stakeholders to improve prevention and screening programs, conduct research, and better monitor and improve cancer treatments (National Cancer Registrars Association, 2014). While cancer registrars were traditionally trained on the job, cancer data management is currently taught in formal education programs at various colleges throughout the country.

What does AHIMA require for credentialing as a Certified Tumor Registrar?

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has various requirements for credentialing as a certified tumor registrar. The first requirement for credentialing is determining eligibility given the existence of eligibility routes. The determination of eligibility is crucial because requirements entail education and experience. The second requirement is to take an exam, which are carried out in two, two-week long testing periods. Once a candidate obtains a passing score, he/she will be certified by the Council on Certification and entitled to use Cancer Tumor Registrar or CTR after their name.

What are the Requirements to Maintain Certification?

The maintenance of a CTR certified status requires the credentialed professional to complete 20 hours of continuing education credits every two years as well as payment of an annual fee. The need for continuing education to maintain certification as CTR is fueled by the fact that the Center for Cancer Registry Education by National Cancer Registrars Association is a Learning Management System that is developed to provide easy access to high-quality academic programming.

What is the Certified Tumor Registrar's Role in the American Cancer Society?