Cancer registries are sources of epidemiological, patterns-of-care, and outcome data for local, regional, state, and national studies of patients with cancer. Longmont established it's registry in 1976, and has been submitting data to the Colorado Central Registry and the National Cancer Registry since that time. In 1997, Longmont became accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and submits data annually to the National Cancer Database. Registry data is used to make important public health decisions that maximize and allocate resources in the fight against cancer. The information is strictly confidential and only aggregate data is submitted to outside agencies with no identifiers.
The Cancer Registry staff collects, report, and analyzes each cancer patient's experience by recording all clinical information; i.e. demographics, social and family history, what signs and symptoms lead to the discovery of the cancer, what type and stage of cancer, all test results, types of procedures used to diagnose the cancer, and what type of treatments did the patient receive. The data is also used by the hospital for quality of care and patient management decisions in an on-going effort to produce the best in cancer care to our patients and community. The Cancer Registry at Longmont United Hospital is part of the Quality Improvement Department.
Cancer Registry data aids researchers and physicians by evaluating the effectiveness of current treatment, and provides researchers the tools to enhance future treatment modalities. Cancer registry data serves as a tool to quality management by identifying opportunities to enhance the care of persons with cancer, various benign tumors, and blood or bone marrow malignancies. The Cancer Registry also conducts lifetime follow-up on patients to obtain information from a patient’s physician on their disease status, general health and any recurrence of additional treatments. Annually, follow-up letters are sent to the patient's physician(s), and sometimes to the patient, which serves as a reminder to obtain regular physical exams.
2008 Cancer Registry Report