The central registry need not be concerned with patients who live within their catchment area but are diagnosed or treated outside their catchment area.

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

Answer: (B)

All residents within a defined catchment area should be included in a central cancer registry, even if their cancer is diagnosed or treated outside that area. The registry’s purpose is to provide population-based data for the catchment area, so every resident’s cancer event must be captured to avoid undercounting and to produce accurate incidence and survival statistics. If a person living in the catchment area is diagnosed or treated elsewhere, the registry still needs to obtain their data (often by collaborating with other registries, hospitals, pathology labs, and death records) and link it to the resident’s information. This ensures the data reflect the true burden of cancer in the defined population.