Present status and research activities of cancer registries in Japan

Population-based cancer registries in Japan were first established in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1957-1958 for assessing radiation effects and in Miyagi in 1959 for promoting epidemiological researches, while most other prefectures in Japan set up cancer registries as a part of their own cancer programs. This resulted in the broader use of registry data in Japan. In 1975, the Research Group for Population-based Cancer Registration in Japan was first organized with a research grant under the National Cancer Research Promotion Program. Since then, continuous efforts have been made by the Group to improve the quantity and quality of registry data and to develop methodologies to utilize it. Studies being conducted using registry data cover (1) descriptive epidemiology, (2) analytical epidemiology, (3) evaluation of screening programs, and (4) evaluation of regional cancer medical care. In 1992, 32 regional cancer registries which were operating in Japan set up the Japanese Association of Cancer Registries. However, there are still many difficulties to overcome in order to achieve completeness of reporting in registries. Further improvement of reporting rate, together with standardization of registry data are left for future efforts.