Chapter 2: Techniques of registration

The quality of the cancer database in a cancer registry rests not only upon the quality of its sources of information but also upon the registration techniques adopted by the cancer registration team. If these techniques follow the international rules of cancer registration, populations may be compared with confidence. This chapter describes the variation between registries in the methods used to collect data on new cancer cases and on the population at risk in the geographical area covered by the cancer registry. Registry background The background of each cancer registry is relevant to the information it delivers. These definitions could affect the data, potentially resulting in an under- or over-reporting of cases. Each point of this issue is discussed briefly below. Table 2.1 presents a definition of the area covered by the cance