HJAR Jan/Feb 2022

30 JAN / FEB 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS SECRETARY’S CORNER DIALOGUE COLUMN SECRETARY’S CORNER CANCER is the second leading cause of death in Arkansas, with over 6,000 deaths annually. A key to fighting this disease is to know more about it. That is where the Arkansas Central Cancer Registry comes in. Any cancer diagnosed or treated within the state must be reported to the registry to help capture a clear picture of the burden of cancer within the state. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) needs help from healthcare workers to ensure this data is being reported. While reporting is man- datory, it is important for healthcare work- ers to know the reported data will help not only all Arkansans but their facilities as well. Funded by the National Program of Can- cer Registries (NCPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the registry is housed within the ADH and is a gold-certified registry by the North Ameri- canAssociation of Central Cancer Registries for data completion and quality. The regis- try has collected population-based cancer incidence data among Arkansas residents since 1996. This data includes cancer di- agnoses and treatments as well as certain benign tumors, such as brain tumors. An- nual reports are submitted to the CDC, and the data is used to assist with initiatives for early cancer detection and prevention and for research and policy. There is also a de- identified online search tool for the public. This year, the registry also received a national award that means its data will be included in more research studies than be- fore. Arkansas was one of seven states to receive a base contract for research support from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveil- lance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. It will have the ADH partnering with the University of Arkansas for Medi- cal Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute to enhance the infrastructure for cancer surveillance, treatment and research in the state and improve cancer care and ARKANSAS CANCER REGISTRY: Collecting Important Cancer Information toHelpKeepArkansansHealthy