Hawai‘i Tumor Registry Honored for Excellence in Data Quality
(Winter 2005)

For several consecutive years, the Hawai‘i Tumor Registry (HTR), the operations hub for the statewide cancer registry operated by the Cancer Research Center, earned gold certification from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR). This past fall, the HTR, under the leadership of Dr. Marc Goodman, principal investigator, and Dr. Brenda Hernandez, director, was honored for the first time as the best among the 15 National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programs of cancer registries for data quality. The HTR is the SEER registry for the entire state of Hawai‘i.

This award recognizes cancer registries in the United States and Canada that demonstrate the highest standards of data quality, judged by completeness, accuracy, and timeliness. This esteemed designation is an indicator of high quality data, measuring some 14 different data elements and their completeness levels. All of the SEER cancer registries provide high quality data and are considered to be in the forefront of national cancer surveillance efforts, thereby making the number one position even more difficult to attain.

Much of the award-winning performance of the HTR can be attributed to the dedicated and diligent professional staff, at both central and hospital registries. It is also due to the outstanding partnerships and ongoing collaboration with hospitals, pathology facilities, physicians, the Department of Health, the Hawaii Medical Association, and the Hawaii Oncology Data Management Association (HODMA), an organization comprising cancer registry professionals from throughout the state and the Pacific.

Established in 1973 by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), SEER is a primary source of cancer statistics in the United States. Leading public health organizations including the NCI, Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the American Cancer Society use SEER data to analyze trends in cancer incidence and mortality, develop cancer control programs, and guide health policy decisions. Hawai‘i SEER data is particularly important for tracking long-term cancer trends in a large Asian American/Pacific Islander population. Connections with partners at the local, state, and national level are vital to the SEER program.

Close local collaborations ensure that cancer statistics aren’t numbers buried in a registry archive but instead are active tools for positively impacting public health. HTR data has been key to uncovering significant variation in cancer among the state’s diverse ethnic groups. These ethnic differences underscore the importance of genes, lifestyle, and environment in the development and progression of cancer and may provide clues to its control.