Hospital Center, Washington Cancer Institute. Throughout her professional career, she has volunteered for the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) and currently holds the position of Ethics Committee Chair while providing mentorship to transitioning careerists. Jehan also serves as a healthcare consultant performing a range of operational functions such as project manager, facilitator, research assistant and website development coordinator. Her latest endeavor is the Black Butterfly Project - Making Black Neighborhoods Matter. Jehan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management from Lebanon Valley College and holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration (MHA) from Washington Adventist University where she became a member of Alpha Chi National Honor Society. Additionally, she is a Registered Health Information Technologist (RHIT), and a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR). Celeste: What is a cancer registry, and why do you think it is important that each state have one? Jehan: A cancer registry is a comprehensive data repository where cancer patients’ and survivors’ information is housed. This information consists of demographics, history, diagnosis, staging, and treatment. These data capture the continuum of care for the patient’s lifetime and serves as a reference for researchers, screening and prevention programs, healthcare providers, and public health officials. The cancer registry dates as far back as 16th century London, England, but the cancer registry as we know it today materialized in the United States in the 1900’s. A brief history of the cancer registry timeline (https://www. ncra-usa.org/About/CancerRegistry-Profession) is as follows: • 1926: First hospital registry at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. • 1935: First central cancer registry established in Connecticut. • 1956: American College of Surgeons requires a cancer registry for approved cancer programs. • 1971: National Cancer Act budgets monies to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for research, detection, and treatment of cancer. • 1973: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of NCI establishes the first national cancer registry. • 1983: National Cancer Registrar Association’s (NCRA’s) Council on Certification establishes the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR®) credential. • 1992: Congress establishes a National Program of Cancer Registries (PublicLaw 102-515). • 1993: State laws make cancer a reportable disease. There are 3 types of cancer registries: 1) Central Cancer Registry, or State Cancer Registry, where all the hospitals in that state, along with non-hospital sources such as physician offices and pathology laboratories, submit incidence data; 2) Hospitalbased Registry, a type of registry that maintains data on every patient diagnosed and treated at the facility. The hospital-based registry data collection concentrates efforts toward improving patient care, administrative processes and functions, clinical research, and education; and 3) Special Purpose, or simply termed Special Registry, registries that maintain data pertaining to a specific type of cancer and/or specific population. An example of a specific type of cancer in a special registry is lung cancer. The data in a registry, as previously mentioned, serves as a reference point for healthcare providers, public health officials, and researchers. Some examples of how the data is used are to: 1) Calculate cancer incidence; 2) Evaluate efficacy of treatment modalities; 3) Determine survival rates; 4) Develop targeted educational and screening programs; and 5) Conduct research on the 35
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