Malignant Disease (Cancer): Chapter 23-12-4 of the Rhode Island General Laws requires health care providers in Rhode Island to report of all cases of "malignant disease" newly diagnosed after October 1, 1986 to the Rhode Island Department of Health, as specified in the Rules and Regulations of the Rhode Island Cancer Registry.

The Rules and Regulations define "malignant disease" as "a diagnosis of cancer (made microscopically and/or non-microscopically) established by a licensed physician which includes cancers at all sites and all stages of the disease and which are listed in the current amended International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-0), published by the World Health Organization. Excluded are basal epithelial, papillary and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin but included are all carcinomas of the vulva, labia, penis and scrotum. Also excluded are all in situ carcinomas of the cervix uteri."

Benign Neoplasms: Under the authority granted the Director of Health by chapters 23-1-1, 23-1-18(2), and 23-8-1 of the Rhode Island General Laws, the Rules and Regulations of the Rhode Island Cancer Registry also require health care providers in Rhode Island to report all cases of "benign neoplasms" of the brain or central nervous system newly diagnosed on or after 1 January 1997.

The Rules and Regulations define "benign neoplasm of the brain or central nervous system" as "a diagnosis of neoplasm, established by a licensed physician, whose topography is classified as C70.0-C70.9, "meninges," or C71.0-C71.9, "brain," or C72.0-C72.9, "spinal cord, cranial nerves, and other parts of central nervous system," or C75.1, "pituitary gland," or C75.2, "craniopharyngeal duct," or C75.3, "pineal gland," or other related anatomical sites, as the Director shall specify, and whose behavior is classified as "/0, benign neoplasms," or "/1, neoplasms of uncertain and unknown behavior" by the current amended International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-0) published by the World Health Organization."

Who Reports?

In actual practice, the Rhode Island Cancer Registry requires the reporting of cases, as specified above, from hospitals, free-standing pathology and cytology laboratories, and other selected health care providers with large volumes of reportable cases. Other health care providers are asked to report cases from time to time.

How to Report?

All case reports are submitted to the Cancer Information System of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island (CIS/HARI). CIS/HARI is under contract to the Rhode Island Department of Health to process all case reports for the Rhode Island Cancer Registry. For more information on case reporting, health care providers may call (401-274-1804) or e-mail Ms. Dorothy Darcy, AS, CTR.

Should members of the public report?

To protect the confidentiality of individual patients, members of the general public should not report cases to the Rhode Island Cancer Registry.

Highlights

Cancer in Rhode Island, 2003
is a comprehensive report that includes cancer rates, risk factors, prevention, screening, treatment, and survival rates for each cancer site/type.

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