The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Cancer Surveillance System, which collects data on cancer incidence in western Washington, has received the Outstanding SEER Registry Award by the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute.
"SEER is internationally recognized as the gold standard for all cancer registry programs," says Mary Potts, CSS manager. "Being ranked as the top SEER registry means we are considered the best population-based cancer registry in the world."
SEER collects and publishes data on cancer incidence and survival from 11 population-based cancer registries and three supplemental registries around the country.
Potts accepted the award, which is based on evaluation of all aspects of registry operation, at the annual meeting of SEER managers and principal investigators in Washington, D.C.
Last year, the Hutchinson Center's CSS program was ranked second of all SEER registries, making it the only registry to be included among the top three for two consecutive years.
CSS, established in 1974, has aided more than 400 cancer epidemiology studies at the Hutchinson Center and around the nation by providing data on cancer incidence. Drs. Tom Vaughan and Steve Schwartz , investigators in the Center's Public Health Sciences Division, direct the program.
CONTACT: Kristen Woodward
kwoodwar@fhcrc.org
(206) 667-5095
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2000