National Cancer Registrar Week holiday is observed during the first full week of April every year by the National Cancer Registrars Association (N.C.R.A.). This year, it takes place from April 7 to 11. It promotes the work of cancer registry professionals and the remarkable role these professionals play in cancer treatment and control policies. Cancer registry professionals are fundamental to collecting and registering data and information about cancer patients. Their work provides researchers, healthcare providers, and public health officials with a detailed map of this disease throughout the U.S. and allows an improvement in cancer treatments, prevention and research.
History of National Cancer Registrars Week
The first consistent theory found in history about cancer was made in ancient Greece by physician Hippocrates. For him, cancer was caused by an accumulation of black bile. Renaissance anatomists, however, proved Hippocrates’ theory unfounded after several dissections performed on cancer victims at the time found no evidence of black bile.
From the 19 century onwards, the development of optical instruments and later improved diagnostic tools made cancer research develop rapidly. Today, with medicine increasingly based on reading and processing data, a new type of researcher has become fundamental to understanding this disease: they are cancer registrars.
National Cancer Registrar Week was first observed in 1997 by the newly formed National Cancer Registrars Association (N.C.R.A.), a non-profit organization representing over 6,500 cancer registry professionals and Certified Tumor Registrars. It was celebrated by cancer and tumor registry professionals to emphasize the vital role cancer registrars play in fighting cancer.
But the story doesn’t start there. Before it became the N.C.R.A., the organization was known as the National Tumor Registrars Association, and its origin dates back to 1974. When National Cancer Registrars Week was created to promote the work of cancer registry professionals, the N.C.R.A. already had the foundation of the previous organization of research and established standards of education for tumor registrars.
Currently, National Cancer Registrar Week aims to promote cancer registrar recognition and correctly recognize how the cancer data collected provides essential information to researchers, healthcare providers, and public health officials. The idea is to better monitor and advance cancer treatments and improve cancer prevention and screening programs.
National Cancer Registrars Week timeline
National Tumor Registrars Association (N.T.R.A.) is founded.
The National Tumor Registrars Association becomes the National Cancer Registrars Association.
The N.T.R.A. promotes the first National Cancer Registrars Week
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, National Cancer Registrars Week takes place online for the first time.
National Cancer Registrars Week FAQs
What does a cancer registrar do?
Cancer registrars collect data on the incidence, diagnosed stage, and treatment of cancer.
How many certified cancer registrars are there?
Worldwide, there are 5,000 certified tumor registrars.
Is a cancer registrar also known as a tumor registrar?
Yes, cancer registrars are also known as tumor registrars
How to Observe National Cancer Registrars Week
Talk to people who might be interested
National Cancer Registrars Week is a great opportunity to get in touch with people. Talk to those who might be suffering from cancer to offer support and affection.
Learn how cancer data can improve medical treatments
Cancer registrars collect a lot of information that helps improve therapies and health services. Getting to know them better will give you a better understanding of the current situation around this disease.
Spread the message
Activate your social networks and let everyone know the importance of cancer registrars. Help to spread information about the week.
5 Important Facts About Cancer
The world’s second leading cause of death
The first one is cardiovascular disease.
Cancer kills 10 million people every year
One in six people died of cancer in 2020.
Breast cancer is the most common
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., except for skin cancers, and accounts for about 30% of all new female cancers each year.
More than 100 types of cancer
Cancer arises when the body's cells grow out of control — cancer types are usually named for the organs or tissues in which they originate.
There are two types of tumors
When tumors spread to nearby tissue, they are called malignant and when they don't, they are benign.
Why National Cancer Registrars Week is Important
It saves lives
By raising awareness of cancer, National Cancer Registrar Week helps promote lifestyle habits that reduce risk and encourage early assessment. It saves lives.
We should know our enemies
Understanding how cancer occurs, operates, and spreads is critical to receiving proper medical treatment. That’s why cancer registrars are so important.
It recognizes an important profession
The week recognizes the significant part cancer registrars play. They act as detectors scattered throughout the territory, collecting information that helps to better understand this disease and how it affects society.
National Cancer Registrars Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | April 4 | Monday |
| 2023 | April 3 | Monday |
| 2024 | April 1 | Monday |
| 2025 | April 7 | Monday |
| 2026 | April 6 | Monday |
Log In With Google