[Population-based cancer registration in Germany. Essentials and perspectives]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Historically, Germany lacked comprehensive population-based cancer registration across all regions.
• A federal law on cancer registration (KRG) enacted between 1995-1999 mandated establishment of registries in all federal states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the development and current status of population-based cancer registries in Germany.
• To highlight improvements in completeness and identify remaining challenges.
• To emphasize the potential and need for utilizing cancer registry data in research.

Main Methods:

• Review of the implementation of the federal cancer registration law (KRG).
• Analysis of the development of 16 different cancer registry models across German federal states.
• Evaluation of improvements in registration completeness and data availability.

Main Results:

• All German federal states now have legally established population-based cancer registries.
• Cancer registration completeness has significantly improved, with several registries achieving high coverage.
• Despite uniformity in the KRG model, 16 distinct registry implementations exist, leading to heterogeneity.
• Deficits persist due to incompatible state-level registry laws, impacting data usability.

Conclusions:

• Germany has made substantial progress in establishing nationwide cancer registries, enhancing public reporting and research support.
• Future efforts must shift from registry development to optimizing the usability of cancer registry data for epidemiological studies and public health interventions.
• Cancer registry data holds significant potential for research into cancer etiology and the evaluation of early detection programs.