California Cancer Registry Brochure

Numbers to Call for Information:
How Does the California Cancer Registry
Work?
Cancer became a reportable disease with the enactment of Health and Safety Code, Section 103885
in 1985. The CCR has gathered information on all
cancers diagnosed in California since 1988. (The only
exceptions are basal and squamous cell carcinoma
of the skin and carcinoma in situ of the cervix.)
The CCR is a three-level system:
6 Medical treatment facilities collect and report cancer data from their medical records. Physicians
report information on cancer patients who are not
referred to a medical treatment facility.
6 A network of ten regional registries receives these
data and checks for accuracy, performs analyses,
and conducts studies specific to the local area.
The central registry in Sacramento collates these data,
performs additional quality control and analyzes the
data on a statewide basis.

What About Patient Confidentiality?
All data collected by the California cancer reporting
system are subject to the confidentiality provisions in
Section 103875-103885 of the Health and Safety Code.
Confidential information can only be released for research
purposes to investigators whose study protocols have
been approved by a federally approved committee for
the protection of human subjects, and who comply with
additional conditions specified by the CCR.

Region 1/8
Northern California Cancer Center
510-429-2500
(Counties: Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda,
Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo)

Region 2
Cancer Registry of Central California
559-244-4550
(Counties: Fresno, Kern, King, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus,
Tulare, and Tuolumne)

Region 3
Cancer Surveillance Program, Region 3
916-454-6522
(Counties: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba)

Region 4
Tri-Counties Regional Cancer Registry
805-563-0457
(Counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura)

Region 5
Desert Sierra Cancer Surveillance Program
909-558-6170
(Counties: Inyo, Mono, Riverside, and San Bernardino)

Region 6
Cancer Registry of Northern California
530-345-2483
(Counties: Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen,
Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama,
and Trinity)

Region 7/10
Cancer Surveillance Program of Orange County &
San Diego Imperial Organization for Cancer Control
949-824-7401
(Counties: Orange, San Diego, and Imperial)

Region 9
Cancer Surveillance Program
323-442-2300
(County: Los Angeles)

California Cancer Registry
Cancer Surveillance Section
Department of Health Services
1700 Tribute Road, Suite 100
Sacramento, California, 95815-4402
phone: 916-779-0300, fax: 916-779-0264
www.ccrcal.org or www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ps/cdic/cdicindex.html

The California Cancer Registry is a collaborative partnership among
the California Department of Health Services, its contractor, the Public
Health Institute (a non-profit corporation dedicated to advancing the
public health of Californians), and the ten regional cancer registries.

How are California Cancer
Registry Data Used?
CCR data are used to:
6 Study cancer causes and risk
factors.
6 Conduct epidemiological and
clinical research studies.
6 Evaluate patterns of treatment and
stage of diagnosis.
6 Disseminate information for
planning and early detection
programs.
6 Respond to state and local
questions and concerns about
cancer.
6 Provide information to citizens,
legislators, and health professionals.

Why is the California Cancer Registry
Necessary?
Whether experienced personally or through others,
cancer affects virtually everyone. More than 2 out of 5
persons now living in California will develop cancer
during their lifetime, and about 1 in 5 will die of cancer.
Approximately 133,000 new cases and nearly 53,000
deaths occur in California each year.
The California Cancer Registry (CCR) is California's statewide population-based cancer surveillance system. The
CCR collects information about cancers diagnosed in
California. This information furthers our understanding
of cancer and is used to develop strategies and policies for its prevention, treatment, and control.
Many cancers can be cured if detected early and
treated promptly; some can be prevented with behavioral or lifestyle changes. The availability of data on
cancer in the state allows health researchers to analyze geographic, ethnic, occupational, and other
differences in order to search for clues that point to risk
factors, and to determine where early detection, educational or other programs should be directed.

133,000 New Cancer Cases
and Nearly 53,000 Cancer
Deaths Occur Each Year in
California .

What has the California Cancer Registry
Accomplished?
The California Cancer Registry is one of the largest registries in the world and is internationally recognized for
its high quality cancer incidence data. Because of
California's racial diversity, the CCR can provide information on cancer rates among specific racial/ethnic
groups. CCR data form the foundation for cancer control programs, research, epidemiological analyses,
cancer risk factor identification surveys, and educational forums.
The CCR issues annual reports on cancer incidence and
mortality in California. It has published special reports
on breast cancer in California, childhood cancer mortality, and cancer research utilizing the CCR.
Region-specific reports are produced and include
county specific incidence and mortality rates.
Additionally, data are being used to:
6 Evaluate utilization of breast conserving
surgery.
6 Target and evaluate breast cancer
intervention programs.
6 Determine if AIDS patients are at increased
risk for cancers other than Kaposi's
Sarcoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
6 Monitor the impact of prostate specific
antigen (PSA) on prostate cancer rates
and treatment.
6 Evaluate the performance of cancer
care in California.

The CCR is the primary source of cancer data for the
American Cancer Society's annual "California Cancer
Facts and Figures" report, an important planning and
educational tool used by statewide organizations working to eliminate or reduce cancer incidence and
mortality.
Since 1988, researchers using CCR data continue to
receive major grants to investigate the causes, prevention, and cures of cancer. This research has resulted in:
6 340 research projects initiated.
6 727 articles and abstracts published in scientific
journals and books.
Grants come from the American Cancer Society, the
National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of
Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of Defense, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.

Whom Does the California Cancer Registry
Benefit?
Through these activities and others, the CCR advances
the health of Californians by contributing a significant
body of knowledge for cancer control research and
practice efforts.
Many individuals and groups in California and beyond
benefit from the CCR:
6 The Public
6 Cancer patients and their families
6 Hospitals/health centers
6 Health professionals
6 Researchers
6 Local and state health departments