Cancer Stats in Malta
NATIONAL CANCER REGISTER
AIMS
People from different disciplines participate in trying to control cancer. The major role of the cancer registry in cancer control takes the nature of intelligence gathering about the current cancer burden in a community, providing the data needed to uncover the causes of cancer in humans and for evaluation of the effects of steps taken to the control of the disease (Jensen O.M. et al., 1991).
DATA COLLECTION AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Types of Neoplasms collected at MNCR
- All malignant neoplasms
- All ‘in-situ’ neoplasms (including all levels of CIN)
- Some neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour (eg: Myelodyplastic Syndrome)
- Certain benign tumours (mainly those arising in the CNS)
MAIN SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND REPORTS RECEIVED AT THE CANCER REGISTRY
| Sources | Reported by | |
| Clinical notification | Hospital doctors, GP’s and others | Notification of Cancer Act, 1957 |
| Copy of histology and cytology report | Pathology laboratories | State-owned (1) and private (8) |
| Copy of autopsy report | Pathology laboratories | Autopsies are only done in state-owned general hospitals |
| Death certificates | National Mortality Registry | Another registry at DHI |
| New referrals to Oncology department | Oncologists | There is only one Oncology centre on the Islands |
Data on cancer site and morphology is coded using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Second edition (World Health Organization, 1990).
Source: https://health.gov.
The following documents include information on incidence and mortality by year, gender and age groups for the following selected cancer sites (see table definitions) - Incidence & mortality tables updated October 2016.