Missouri Cancer Registry

The Missouri Cancer Registry (MCR) was established in 1972 under contract between the Missouri Division of Health (now the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services) and the Cancer Research Center in Columbia. Although data submission from hospital-based registries was initially voluntary, in May 1984, the Missouri General Assembly passed a bill to require hospital inpatient cancer reporting, which was signed into law by Governor Christopher S. [Kit] Bond in August 1984, (192.650 RSMo).

Congress established the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) in 1992 by enacting the Cancer Registries Amendment Act, Public Law 102-515. The NPCR, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), allocates funds through cooperative agreements with state health departments to enhance existing central cancer registries and establish central registries in states that did not have a registry. As a recipient of NPCR funding since 1995, the Missouri central cancer registry is required to adhere to guidelines established by CDC.

In May 1999, the Missouri General Assembly passed a bill expanding cancer reporting to include not only hospital inpatients but also hospital outpatient settings, physician offices, pathology laboratories, ambulatory surgical centers, residential care facilities I and II, intermediate care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and free-standing cancer clinics and treatment centers. The expanded reporting statute, became effective on August 28,1999 (192.650 - 192.657 RSMo).

In September 1999, a number of surveillance activities were contracted to the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), Center for Health Care Quality (CHCQ), including MCR operations. The program is directed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Division of Community and Public Health, Section for Epidemiology and Public Health Practice (EPHP).

CDC through NPCR has established national standards to ensure the completeness, timeliness, and quality of cancer registry data. Missouri has and continues to meet NPCR standards. In addition, CDC recommends that central cancer registries incorporate standards for data quality and format as described by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

NAACCR reviews member registries for their ability to produce complete, accurate, and timely data. The registry certification program then recognizes those registries meeting the highest standards of data quality with Gold or Silver recognition certificates for each data year. To view the criteria for NAACCR certification, click here. To view a US map of NAACCR certified registries, click here. The Missouri Cancer registry has received NAACCR gold certification for yearly data.