[Hospital tumor registry in the Hospital La Paz (Spain)]

We present the case for the establishment of hospital tumour registries in order to facilitate the use of epidemiological data and the development of preventive policies.

Retrospective descriptive analysis of the data of the tumour registry of the Hospital "La Paz" including tumoral location (ICD-O), diagnostic method, tumour grade and treatment.

1987 cases were included. Median age at diagnosis was 66.2 years; 53.3% of cases were male and 46.7 female. The most frequent tumoral sites recorded were the digestive tract, skin, breast and urinary tract. The most common diagnostic method used was biopsy (83.1%), followed by cytology (5.7%). 84.5% of cases were originally recorded as localized disease, whilst 15.4% were disseminated. Surgery was the most common treatment (78.8%), followed by systemic therapy (16.2%).

The establishment of hospital tumour registries should be prioritized, in order to collect epidemiological data which will enhance our understanding of cancer.