IACR Newsflash
Dr Risto Sankila (1958 – 2019)
Dr Risto Sankila was a former Director of the Finnish Cancer Registry, and led the organization of the IACR 2002 scientific conference in Helsinki (June 2002). He also served as Professor at the Tampere University until 2008.
As Dr Sankila mastered the subject of survival analysis, he went to IARC in Lyon and substantially contributed to the work of the European Network of Cancer Registries. He served as editor of the IARC Technical Publications No. 37: Evaluation of Clinical Care by Cancer Registries (2003).
Read the full tribute by Dr Roberto Zanetti and Jan Willem Coebergh here: https://www.fondoelenamoroni.org/category/notizie/
Results Overview of the Cancer Registries and COVID-19 Survey
In mid-May, the COVID-19 and Cancer Task Force, through IACR and GICR, reached out to cancer registries with a survey to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer registration. A total of 218 cancer registries from 90 countries participated in this survey. We therefore extend our most sincere thank you to each registry for taking the time to provide feedback on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their respective cancer registry operations.
We are pleased to share an overview of the survey results:
Two out of three cancer registries indicated their operations, including staff performance and funding, were disrupted due to the pandemic.
For 71% of registries, staff attendance was affected by the pandemic.
We will provide the detailed results from this survey very soon – please stay tuned!
Again, thank you to all our colleagues for helping us assess the impact of COVID-19 on cancer registration. The information, comments and suggestions you shared will help all those in the Task Force, IARC, GICR and IACR in particular, gather and provide targeted support for registry activities in the near future.
Dr Divina Esteban: A Tribute
Dr Divina Esteban, a pioneer of cancer registration in the Philippines (and, indeed, in South-Eastern Asia) died on February 20th, 2020.
Divina qualified in medicine at University of Manila, and later specialized in medical oncology, taking a fellowship at Philippine General Hospital (Manila) and becoming an active clinician, rising to leadership positions in the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology. Working in Rizal Medical Centre, she helped to found in 1974 the Department of Health – Rizal Cancer Registry (DOH-RCR), the first population-based cancer registry in the Philippines, as one of the activities of the Community Cancer Control Programme of the province of Rizal, and acted as its medical Director for 30 years.
The Rizal Cancer Registry contributed data for 1978-1982 to Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Volume V, and to subsequent volumes, and with IARC, she was a co-author of the first volume of Cancer in Philippines, an early IARC Technical Report (No. 5, published in 1989). The registry also contributed to the first two volumes of “Cancer Survival in Developing Countries”.
Because of its pioneering status, Rizal registry acted as a training centre for staff from other registries in Philippines, and other countries in the region, notably from Thailand and Vietnam. Her expertise as a trainer was recognized in the volume she co-authored with IARC’s Sharon Whelan- the Manual for Cancer Registry Personnel (IARC Technical Report No. 10) in 1995.
Divina was an active member of the IACR, and participated in numerous annual meetings in the 1980’s and 90’s. She retired from the Rizal Medical Center and thus also from the Rizal registry in 2004. She was succeeded by Dr Rica Lumague, a surgeon.
COVID-19 and Cancer Registries Survey
IARC, GICR and IACR is currently inviting cancer registries to respond to an online survey to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer registration. The survey is being sent by email to registries and is likewise available here: https://is.gd/IACR_GICR_Survey1
PDF copies of survey translations in French, Spanish and Portugese are available for download here:
Encuesta de registros de cáncer IARC-IACR-GICR - español
Enquête IARC-IACR-GICR sur les registres du cancer - français
Pesquisa sobre registros de câncer da IARC-IACR-GICR- Português
The survey is in support of the COVID-19 and Cancer Task Force to help coordinate efforts to synthesize and rapidly disseminate data on how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting cancer outcomes worldwide.
The deadline for completing the survey has been extended to 22nd May 2020.
ICCR Datasets
Following a period of consultation with the membership and officers of the Board, IACR is endorsing the use of the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR) pathology datasets for cancer reporting.
The links to the datasets are published on IACR's website under: Support for Registries
The published data sets (some of which have translations in Spanish, Portugese and French, are available here: ICCR Datasets
For questions or further information, please ICCR at : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (T: +61 2 8356 5828)
