Death clearance is performed only by central cancer registries.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not applicable

Answer: (B)

Death clearance is the process of verifying whether a cancer patient is alive or has died by linking registry records with mortality data such as death certificates or national/death indices. It is not restricted to central cancer registries; regional or local registries, hospital registries, or public health authorities can perform death clearance, and central registries often rely on or coordinate with these other bodies. Access to mortality data and the ability to perform matches can vary by jurisdiction, but updating vital status can be done at multiple levels, not just by central registries. Therefore, the statement is false.