Registry staff can call the patient or his/her next of kin to discuss the patient's current cancer status.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. Only with patient consent

Answer: (B)

Disclosing a patient’s cancer status is protected health information, and sharing it with someone other than the patient requires explicit permission or a legally authorized surrogate. Registry staff should primarily contact the patient to discuss their status, and only share details with the next of kin if the patient has given clear written consent or if a permitted exception applies under privacy laws. Without that consent, discussing the status with next of kin would violate confidentiality, so the statement is not correct.