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The
Virginia Cancer Registry (VCR) is part of the Virginia
Department of Health (VDH), Office of Epidemiology, Division
of Surveillance and Investigation. The VCR is a statewide
registry of data on individuals diagnosed and/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
How VCR Cancer Information is Used
How Confidential Data Are Protected
State laws and regulations regarding
cancer surveillance
| 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:
- age
- sex
- race
- ethnic
background
- residence
address
- occupation
Diagnostic
information includes:
- type
of cancer diagnosed
- location
of the cancer in the body
- the
size of the cancer
- the
date of cancer diagnosis
- the
spread of the disease at the time of diagnosis
Treatment
information includes:
- date
of treatment
- 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 useful as a basis 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 utilized by:
- Public
health officials who decide where to target cancer
prevention and control efforts;
- Citizens
of Virginia with questions about cancer occurrence
in different areas of the state;
- Cancer
prevention and control agencies, such
as the American Cancer Society;
- 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 (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 Internal 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 |
From
the Code of Virginia:
§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
From
the Regulations for Disease Reporting and Control:
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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