Cancer registries in the evaluation of occupational cancer

Cancer registry data can be utilized in many ways in studies of occupational risk factors in cancer. The different approaches available include comparison of incidence rates and trend curves, search for clusters, cross-sectional analyses of the relationship between occupation and cancer, recording of unusual sporadic associations that can serve as starting points for further investigations, follow-up (cohort) studies, and case control studies. Cancer registries exist to produce and store cancer data, which then should be linked with information on occupation or with more detailed data on exposure, to be obtained from other sources. This is the most useful way to proceed.