A web-based tumor registration system for a regional Canine Cancer Registry in Umbria, central Italy

The Umbria Canine Cancer Registry (CCR) is a web-based platform for cancer registration set up in order to estimate the incidence of spontaneous tumors. It is an integral part of the regional canine demographic registry in which veterinary practitioners and pathologists interact. Veterinary pathologists perform double-blind comparisons and classify neoplasms in an automated classification process using the WHO criteria for canine neoplasms and the ICD-O tumor topographical and morphological keys. Here we describe the organization, on-line procedures and the methods used to assess canine demography, a pre-requisite for accurately estimating the incidence of cancer. In its first 4 years the CCR recruited 4857 cases of suspected tumors, as diagnosed by practitioners, clinics and a veterinary hospital. After the first year the number of enrolled cases increased by 63%, suggesting growing interest from the regional veterinary community.