Cancer registries in four provinces in Turkey: a case study

A mix of qualitative case study methods including key informant interviews, document review and questionnaires was used.This case study showed that surveillance systems that accurately report current cancer-related data are essential components of a country’s comprehensive cancer control program. At the initial stages, Turkey established one cancer registry with international support, which was used as a model for other registries. The Ministry of Health recognized the value of the registry data and its contribution to the country’s cancer control program and is supporting sustainability of these registries as a result.This study demonstrates how Turkey was able to use resources from multiple sources to enhance its population based cancer registry system in four provinces. With renewed international interest in non-communicable diseases and cancer following the 2011 UN high-level meeting on NCDs, low- and middle- income countries can benefit from Turkey’s experience. Other countries can utilize lessons learned from Turkey as they address cancer burden and establish their own registries.The global burden of cancer has increased over the years, resulting in 7.6 million deaths in 2008, with an estimated two-thirds in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1]. At this rate, an estimated 13 million deaths are expected to result from cancer by 2030. Although cancer is associated with more deaths than HIV/AIDS in resource-poor countries [2], it is frequently classified into a broader category with other diseases in many of these countries, as well as on the international community’s health care agenda [3-6]. Although cancer control efforts seem to be obscure in the current global health agenda, in 2005 the World Health Organization (WHO) passed the Resolution on Cancer Control WHA 58.22, urging Member States to conduct cancer control and prevention activities [7,8]. A key provision in the Resolution was to develop a comprehensive national cancer control programme and in