Cancer registry plays a critical role in cancer surveillance, providing data support for developing prevention and control policies and evaluating the results. The registry work started in the 1960s in China. The country now has 682 cancer registries, covering 598 million people.

To promote the sustainable development of cancer registry, the National Cancer Center organized the development of “Database standards for cancer registry in China”, which was officially released at the closing ceremony of Chinese Medical Information and Big Data Application Meeting on July 11.

As the first association standard in the area, the practical document marked that cancer registry in China has stepped in a new stage. It will provide guidance for standardized collection and sharing of cancer registry data, promote data connectivity and application, and facilitate cancer research.