The Cancer Registrar develops a summary of the history, diagnosis and treatment of every cancer patient and puts it into a code form that can be used for research purposes.
Cancer became a reportable disease in 1985 when the Health and Safety Code, Section 103885 became effective. At that time the California Cancer Registry, part of the California Department of Public Health, was established for the purpose of capturing vital cancer information. This information is used to further our understanding of cancer and assist in developing strategies and policies for the prevention, treatment and control of cancer in our communities. At the state level this information breaks down the demographic and geographic factors that play a part in cancer risk, early detection and effective treatment for cancer patients. As well as, highlight trends like higher rates of a particular cancer in a particular area, or a particular group of people. These details help public health professionals determine where they should concentrate efforts in outreach, early detection and cancer education. All personal information that is collected is considered confidential.
The state of California also reports to SEER, Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results. This is a program of the National Cancer Institute which tracts cancer incidence and survival in the United States. SEER registries collect data on patient demographics, primary tumor site, tumor morphology, the stage at diagnosis, the first course of treatment and follow-up for vital status.
The information that is gathered by all these resources gives the information that physicians use to determine the most effective treatment for patients and also how long the patient can be expected to survive with their disease.
Marian Regional Medical Center established their cancer registry in 1994 when the hospital began the process of becoming certified by the American College of Surgeons. Currently our program maintains two prestigious accreditations. One as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program and the second as a Nationally Accredited Program for Breast Centers. Our registry reports to the State of California and also to the National Cancer Data Base which is a joint program of the Commission on Cancer (COC) and the American Cancer Society (ACS). At present the Marian Regional Medical Center’s registry has collected information on over 40,000 tumors.
The statistics gathered by the Cancer Registry are also used by hospital administration in planning our local cancer program, and where we can be most effective in providing support groups, lectures for the community, cancer screenings, and making new treatments available. Utilizing this data Marian Cancer Care Services strategically focuses on meeting our community needs each year.
Marian Cancer Care provides, at no charge, counseling for cancer patients and their families, nurse navigators to answer your cancer questions, support groups, educational lectures, dietary consults, exercise rehabilitation, screening services and more for our Central Coast community. For more information or if you would like to start receiving our Cancer Care Newsletter, please call 805.219.HOPE (4673).