[Registration of breast cancer and mammographic screening in Romagna]

The monitoring of mammography screening is a major area of practical utilization of cancer registration. However, the methodological and operational implications of the active intervention of the registry in a population-based screening programme have seldom been addressed. In 1996, mammography screening was implemented in the districts of Forlì and Ravenna (72,000 women aged 50-69) of the Romagna Region of Italy. At the same time, the methods for breast cancer (BC) registration through the Romagna Cancer Registry have been modified. A set of special items of information regarding the detection mode, TNM classification, and pattern of treatment has been associated to the routine registration variables. The data are actively collected and rapidly processed. The purposes of the present paper are to point out the rationale and methods of the protocol, and to document (a) the completeness of the individual records of the 304 BC cases notified to the registry between January and September, 1996, as evaluated on March 31, 1997, and (b) the completeness of this case series as estimated on the basis of the temporal increase in the cumulative proportion of BC cases notified to the registry for the year 1992. The data indicate that the rapid collection of items of information which are essential for a registry concerned with screening monitoring is feasible.