Clinical Cancer Registry
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About the Clinical Cancer Registry
Accurate clinical information is needed to ensure best practice is being delivered to cancer patients. Currently, information on stage, treatment and intermediate outcomes by facility or Area Health Service is not available at a state-wide level. Important intermediate outcomes include treatment given, relapse, side effects and quality of life. High quality cancer services need to monitor and benchmark the appropriateness and effectiveness of care using Clinical Cancer Registries, based on a clinical cancer minimum data set collected for all courses of primary treatment and palliation.
To this end, the Cancer Institute NSW has implemented six Area-based Clinical Cancer Registries to collect the national clinical cancer core minimum data set. These Registries provide detailed information on service volumes and trends, access, quality of care and key cancer outcomes linked to treatment sites and modalities. The Clinical Cancer Registry facilitates the monitoring and review of patterns and quality of care for cancer in NSW.
In the North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS), the Clinical Cancer Registry team collects data for patients having part or all of their cancer care provided in North Coast Area Health Service facilities. The team comprises four Network Cancer Information Managers, one at each of the 4 major cancer care sites: Lismore, Port Macquarie, Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour. Cancer Information Managers perform Clinical Cancer Registration for all facilities that offer surgical, medical oncology / haematology, and/or radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients
Under the leadership of the Director of Area Cancer Services, Associate Professor Tom Shakespeare, the Clinical Cancer Registry forms part of the NCAHS Cancer Information Program. The primary purpose of the Cancer Information Program is to ensure complete and accurate Clinical Cancer registration, providing a solid information platform for the planning, development, operation and evaluation of NCAHS cancer services.
Using data collected within the Clinical Cancer Registry, The Cancer Information Program aims to provide all departments involved in cancer services within NCAHS with timely reports about cancer diagnosis and treatment activity, and ultimately, survival of cancer patients by disease stage and treatment(s). The Cancer Information Program will also report other parameters at the Area level, including waiting times for treatment and quality of care.
For more information, contact the Cancer Information Program Manager, Mr John Thurgood, on (02) 6620 7217 or e-mail john.thurgood@ncahs.health.nsw.gov.au