Challenges and solutions of cancer registries: A scoping review

Globally, cancer will develop in one of every five people during their lifetime, impacting families in multiple ways. Despite the long history of cancer registries, dating back to the early 20th century, they face persistent challenges, such as limited resources, insufficient data, governance failure, and operational inefficiency. These challenges hinder effective cancer control and public health planning. Overcoming them is crucial for improving management, enhancing policymaking, and providing more accurate statistics, thus enabling a clearer assessment of the cancer burden. This study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by cancer registry programs and propose effective solutions to enhance their performance and accuracy.

This scoping review was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Embase, ProQuest, SID, MagIran, and Google Scholar. We searched for articles published between January 2000 and December 2024. The review process was conducted between July 1 and December 25, 2024. EndNote (version 21) was used for reference management and data organization. The methodology involved reference list reviewing, grey literature searching, and hand-searching, complemented by content analysis. Predefined eligibility criteria guided the screening process, where only full-text articles published no later than 2024 and written in English or Persian were included.

Cancer registry programs were found to face multiple challenges in four key areas: resources (human and financial), data (collection, analysis, and reporting), governance (population coverage and infrastructure), and procedures (communication and standardization). The proposed solutions included hiring full-time staff, allocating direct funding, implementing effective data management systems, ensuring comprehensive population coverage, building a robust program infrastructure, raising awareness among policymakers, and standardizing forms and procedures.

This study identified key challenges in cancer registry programs, underscoring the need for effective management and improved infrastructure. Addressing issues such as resource shortages and data inefficiencies can significantly enhance program performance. Strengthening communication and standardizing processes will directly contribute to better health policy and cancer control efforts.