About the Cancer
Registry
The Virginia Cancer Registry (VCR) is part
of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Family Health
Services (OFHS), Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control.
The VCR is a statewide registry of data on individuals diagnosed
or treated in Virginia or Virginia residents who received cancer
care out of state.
Click on the following links to learn more about the Virginia Cancer
Registry:
| Information
collected by the VCR |
The VCR collects demographic information
about cancer patients, as well as diagnostic and treatment information
about their cancers.
Demographic information includes
the following information about the patient:
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age
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sex
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race
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ethnic background
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residence address
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occupation
Diagnostic information includes:
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type of cancer diagnosed
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location of the cancer in the body
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the size of the cancer
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the date of cancer diagnosis
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the spread of the disease at the time of diagnosis
Treatment information includes:
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date of treatment
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types of treatment, such as surgery, radiation,
chemotherapy, hormonal therapy
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| How
VCR cancer information is used |
Data from the VCR provide a
description of the cancer burden in Virginia, including what types
and how many cancers occur and how different demographic groups
and geographic areas are affected. This information is use for program
planning, cancer research, education about cancer risk factors and
screening recommendations, and for assisting the public with cancer
inquiries. Cancer data from the VCR are used by:
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Public health officials who decide
where to target cancer prevention and control efforts;
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Citizens of Virginia with questions
about cancer occurrence in different areas of the state;
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Cancer prevention and control agencies,
such as the American Cancer Society;
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Researchers who conduct studies
regarding the occurrence, diagnosis or treatment of cancer.
The registry produces annual
statistical reports about cancer in Virginia, as well as more in-depth
reports on selected sites of cancer. These reports may be accessed
from the Data Publications section
of the VCR site.
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| How confidential
data are protected |
Patient identifying information is necessary to ensure that the
occurrence of cancer in Virginia is not misrepresented.
This could happen by over-counting patients reported from multiple
medical care facilities.
The protection of confidential information maintained in the VCR
database is a priority for the VCR. The Virginia Cancer Registry
staff takes measures to protect the privacy of cancer patients
and the confidentiality of the data, as mandated by the Code of
Virginia. Patient and provider information in the registry database
are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, can be released
only by the authority of the Commissioner of Health for surveillance
or research projects approved by the agency's Institutional Review
Board, and may never be published in identifiable form.
Should the Commissioner of Health approve the release of such
information for a specific research purpose, the recipient must
agree also to protect the information and follow a formal data
use policy or face a sizable penalty for unauthorized disclosure.
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| State
laws and regulations regarding cancer surveillance |
§32.1-70, §32.1-70.2.....
Authorizes cancer reporting, indicates who must report, and states
the purpose of the Virginia Cancer Registry (see also §32.1-41)
§32.1-71, §32.1-71.01...
Confidentiality and privacy protections (see also §32.1-41)
§32.1-38 ....................
Immunity from liability for reporting
§32.1-71.02 ................
Patient notification
§32.1-40 ....................
Authority of Commissioner to review records
§32.1-41 ....................
Authority of Commissioner to release data for studies
12 VAC 5-90-10 ........... Definitions:
cancer, clinic, medical care facility, physician, independent path
lab, surveillance.
12 VAC 5-90-150 .......... Authority
12 VAC 5-90-160 .......... Reportable
Cancers and Tumors
12 VAC 5-90-170 .......... Those
required to Report
12 VAC 5-90-170 .......... Data
to be Reported
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| CDC cancer surveillance funding of VCR |
VCR is supported in part by cooperative agreement number U58/DP000780
awarded by the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR). The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention fund NPCR.
|
