Cancer Registry and the Role of the Certified Tumor Registrar
This paper examines the significance of cancer registries and cancer registrars in collecting quality cancer data for disease management and prevention. It defines cancer registries and outlines the three primary types: population-based, hospital-based, and special-purpose registries. The paper also describes the role of cancer registrars as data information specialists and details the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) requirements for earning and maintaining Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credentials. Finally, it evaluates the role of the CTR within the American Cancer Society, highlighting how compiled patient records support cancer management programs and broader public health initiatives.
- Introduction: Importance of quality cancer data and registries
- What Is a Cancer Registry?: Definition and three types of cancer registries
- The Role of the Cancer Registrar: Registrars as data specialists collecting patient information
- AHIMA Credentialing Requirements for Certified Tumor Registrar: Eligibility, exam, and CTR certification process
- Maintaining CTR Certification: Continuing education and annual fee requirements
- The CTR's Role in the American Cancer Society: CTRs compile records supporting ACS cancer programs
- Conclusion: Summary of cancer data, registrars, and health impact
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Uses clearly labeled sections that follow a logical progression from definition, to roles, to credentialing, to applied function — making the content easy to navigate.
- Grounds definitions in a cited academic source (Jensen & Storm, 1991) and a professional association reference (NCRA), lending credibility to the overview.
- Maintains a consistent professional tone appropriate for a health information management topic, avoiding jargon overload while still using field-specific terminology accurately.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates structured expository writing by building each section on a foundation laid by the previous one. It begins with broad definitions, narrows to specific roles and responsibilities, and then applies those concepts to a real-world institutional context (the American Cancer Society). This funnel-style organization is a reliable technique for introductory academic papers in health sciences and information management.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief introduction establishing the importance of cancer data, then proceeds through five substantive sections: defining cancer registries and their three types, explaining the registrar's role, outlining AHIMA credentialing requirements, describing certification maintenance, and evaluating the CTR's function within the American Cancer Society. A short conclusion synthesizes the main points. The structure mirrors a standard informational report format common at the undergraduate level in health information management programs.
Introduction
Quality cancer data is an important part of cancer management programs and efforts to prevent the disease and develop effective treatment measures. This paper examines the significance of cancer registries and cancer registrars in the process of collecting quality cancer data. The discussion covers what a cancer registry is, the role of the cancer registrar, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) requirements for credentialing as a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), and the requirements for maintaining that certification. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the CTR's role within the American Cancer Society.
The availability of quality cancer data is integral to the fight against cancer throughout the country. The significance of such data has contributed to the development and establishment of cancer registries that help capture it. Registrars record important information related to the disease — including history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status — for all patients in the country. This information is used by researchers, public health professionals, and healthcare providers to conduct research, enhance cancer prevention programs, and improve the 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 data is gathered by cancer registrars, who capture summaries of history, diagnosis, treatment, and status for every patient in the United States 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 society. In general, the main goal of a cancer registry is to gather and categorize information on all cancer cases in order to generate statistics on the incidence of cancer and to provide a mechanism for evaluating and controlling the effect of cancer on the population.
There are three different types of cancer registries: population-based cancer registries, special-purpose cancer registries, and hospital-based cancer registries. 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. This evaluation is carried out by gathering case reports from multiple sources, such as clinicians and treatment centers. In contrast, hospital-based cancer registries are geared toward enhancing cancer therapy through the collection of comprehensive data regarding diagnosis and treatment. As the name suggests, special-purpose registries maintain data or information regarding a specific type of cancer (National Cancer Registrars Association, 2014).
The Role of the Cancer Registrar
Cancer registrars can be described as data information specialists who play a crucial role in developing and maintaining a cancer registry. These specialists are responsible for obtaining important information regarding the disease. They collect data that generates a complete summary of history, diagnosis, treatment, and health condition for every cancer patient in the United States as well as in other countries. As previously noted, the information collected by cancer registrars is in turn used by various health stakeholders to improve prevention and screening programs, conduct research, and better monitor and evaluate 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. This shift toward structured academic preparation reflects the growing complexity and importance of the field.
Conclusion
Quality cancer data plays a vital role in improving cancer management and prevention programs as well as treatment measures. This information is collected by cancer registrars and maintained in cancer registries. It is then utilized by various relevant health stakeholders to enhance the prevention and treatment of cancer across the country and around the world.
References
Jensen, O. M., & Storm, H. H. (1991). Cancer registration: Principles and methods. Oxford University Press.
National Cancer Registrars Association. (n.d.). Become a cancer registrar. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from ).pdf
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.