(CNS): The voluntary registration rate for the Cayman Islands Cancer Registry is beginning to increase. But officials have said that the statistics, compiled with information supplied by a dozen medical professionals, that reflect local trends for the illness that impacts so many people are still inadequate. A release from the Health Services Authority this week said there is still almost no information available regarding cancer trends in Cayman.
“There is no data showing the number of people diagnosed every year, which cancers are most common, or whether there are environmental factors which may be contributing to cancer incidence,” the officials stated, though they remain hopeful that as the number of patients willing to register increases, the critical questions will begin to be answered.
Plans last year to introduce a mandatory register in order to help public health officials and experts in the local field collect the necessary data were derailed because some thought the law was too intrusive into people’s medical history and there were concerns that the insurance companies would abuse the data to refuse cover.
CNS contacted health officials earlier this week to find out whether there are plans to re-write the law so that all the data could still be gathered in ways that offer patients more comfort about the protection of personal information, but we have not received a response.
In the meantime, the registry remains a voluntary one and twelve physicians regularly supply information about patients. However, this will not give professionals the full picture they need to understand the trends and make policy recommendations regarding prevention, treatment and cure or to meet the demands the illness places on the healthcare system.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the jurisdiction could have a high rate of cancer sufferers, especially in younger patients, pointing to a possible specific localized environmental cause, but without the full data for analysis and research, experts can make no conclusions at all about the rate or causes.
While there have been more entries, the Health Services Authority (HSA) and the Cayman Islands Cancer Society (CICS) are encouraging survivors and patients to come forward to help to create a more comprehensive registry.
“A cancer registry is critically important to the future of healthcare in the Cayman Islands,” said Dr Sook Yin, Cayman Islands Cancer Society Medical Advocate for the Cancer Registry. “As a country, we need to understand cancer trends so that we can do everything possible to mitigate cancer risks.”
Dr Virginia Hobday, Medical Director of Cayman Hospice Care and Vice Chair of the Medical and Dental Council, shared Dr Yin’s sentiment over the need for an effective registry. “The medical profession worldwide is united in their opinion that the healthcare of future generations will be seriously compromised without the data that cancer registries provide,” she added.
Cancer registries contribute to scientific research into causes and cancer management. They also provide evidence for policymaking and the monitoring of programme implementation. The immeasurable benefits of a comprehensive cancer registry are why the WHO and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) are strongly encouraging all nations to take necessary steps to ensure they have reliable cancer surveillance data.
According to the WHO, there are over 100 cancer registries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, England and Australia, which have implemented automatic reporting to cancer registries. The IARC, an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations, also has plans to make improvements by creating six hubs, including one in the Caribbean.
The data collected by Cayman’s national registry is based on recommendations from WHO and stored in a database designed by the international public health agency, but customised to fit the needs of the country’s unique community. All information included in the registry is anonymised before being entered into the database, which means names are not included. Access to the registry database is restricted. The public does not have access under any circumstances; only the Cancer Registrar has access.
