Residency at diagnosis refers to the patient’s usual residence at the time of diagnosis. Which statement is true?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It refers to residence at the time of treatment
• D. It refers to current address at the time of data submission

Answer: (A)

Residency at diagnosis means the place where the patient normally lives at the time of diagnosis. This is the geographic anchor used by cancer registries to assign cases to a location for incidence rates and population-based analyses. It is not the location of the treatment facility, nor the current address used for data submission, nor the residence at some later time such as during treatment. The statement is true because it correctly defines residency at diagnosis as the patient’s usual residence at the moment of diagnosis, providing a stable geographic reference for reporting and research. If a patient has moved, the usual residence at diagnosis is still the reference point used for geographic classification.