Cancer Registry encourages the use of the cancer registry database. The registry maintains patient confidentiality. The primary responsibility of the registrar is to assure that complete and accurate data are collected and maintained for all cancer patients diagnosed and/or treated at Lima Memorial Hospital for reporting and statistical analysis. Records are reviewed for both inpatients and outpatients. The cancer registrar prepares a summary or abstract for each cancer patient. Included are pertinent facts such as: demographic information, medical history, diagnostic findings, diagnosis, cancer therapy and follow up.
Reasons for maintaining a Cancer Registry include:
- Education: Statistical reports of registry data enable physicians who treat cancer patients to evaluate the success of specific tumor treatments.
- Lifetime patient follow up: A Cancer Registry serves as an automatic reminder to physicians and patients to schedule regular physical examinations thus assuring continued medical supervision of patients who have had a diagnosis of cancer.
- Research: The data collected and maintained in the registry serves as a valuable resource for researchers interested in the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Fundamental research on the epidemiology of cancer is initiated using the accumulated data.
In all circumstances, confidentiality of patient identifying information and related medical data is strictly maintained. Only aggregated data are analyzed and published. The individual cancer patient is never identified outside of the registry system.
