The Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center has established a Cancer Registry, which enables it to collect demographics, treatment and lifetime follow-up history of cancer patients. The Registry makes an important contribution both locally and nationally, to research and the accumulation of knowledge for cancer treatment. To preserve patient confidentiality, the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center does not release identifiable patient information to unauthorized individuals.

Information from the Cancer Registry is available to our medical administration to assist them in identifying services for cancer patients and their families. It also enables physicians caring for cancer patients to compare their standard of care with national trends. Data is submitted to the National Cancer Data Base of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. The database was developed to collect data from all cancer registries in approved cancer programs across the United States, allowing analysis of national treads with the database at the individual hospital.

Our patients benefit from the Cancer Registry through lifetime follow-up. Lifetime follow-up can serve as a reminder to physicians and patients that they require regular follow-up of their cancer even when active cancer treatment is completed. Certified Cancer Registrars staff the Cancer Registry. More information on the Cancer Registry is available through the National Cancer Registrars Association