Abstract
Features of the USA Cancer Registries Amendment Act can be summarized in two brief sentences as follows. 1. The Federal Government gives financial and technical support to regional cancer registration programs of states according to application of local governments or academic or non-profit organizations nominated by local government. 2. The qualifications that should be fulfilled by state governments to receive support are stipulated clearly. The following effects of this law were expected. 1. The Federal Government would take the role enforcing programs already ongoing in individual states without modifying the operating foundation of the programs drastically. 2. Registration items, and immediacy and comprehensiveness of data would rapidly become standardized. 3. State legislatures were led to decide the state law indicating that cancer registration could be made without obtaining consent of patients suffering from cancer individually. 4. The law led to the commencement of regional registration programs in states where there had been no such programs beforehand. It is indicated that the following items are additionally necessary of a similar legislative arrangement is to be made in Japan. 1. To make it an obligation of the physician (medical institution) to make official notification of patients with cancer. 2. Effective utilization of death information. 3. Establishment of a system of hospital-based cancer registration. 4. A means to inform patients with cancer and the nation widely about the program. 5. Determine roles of medical institutions in prefectures where no cancer registration is performed. 6. Establish penal regulations to punish individuals who divulge personal information.
