Colorado Central Cancer Registry data overview

The Colorado Central Cancer Registry is a statewide database of cancer diagnoses and includes the following data items: cancer site; stage of disease at diagnosis; treatments; payer; and demographics including age, sex, race and residence. The goal of the Cancer Registry is to reduce death and illness due to cancer by informing citizens and health professionals through statistics and reports on incidence, treatment and survival, and deaths due to cancer. All individual patient, physician and hospital information is confidential as required by Colorado law.

Population presented

All Colorado residents who present with cancer, whether or not they were diagnosed in Colorado.

Health topic areas covered 

All cancers except basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin and cervical carcinoma in situ. Benign and borderline tumors of the central nervous system are also captured.

Health disparities/inequities

Data analyses of health measures that stratify by or otherwise consider demographic variables (e.g., race/ethnicity, age, sex, socioeconomic position) can be used to assess health disparities and inequities.

Cancer registry data utility 

• Determine population-level cancer trends
• Make informed public health policy decisions
• Promote interventions to diagnose cancers earlier, at more treatable stages
• Conduct innovative cancer research
• Create evidence-based healthcare screening guidelines

Methodology

The Cancer Registry collects data on all cancers except basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin and cervical carcinoma in situ from Colorado hospitals, pathology labs, other state cancer registries, death certificates and some physicians.

Cancer Reporting Requirements

Cancer Registry Board of Health Regulations

Considerations for the data source

Confidentiality is maintained by suppressing results of any measure with only one or two events in each
category.

• Record-level de-identified datasets are available for approved research projects.
• Incidence rates for all cancer sites include invasive cancer only (except bladder cancer, for which in situ tumors are included).

Issues relevant for time trends:

• Current age-adjusted incidence rates are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Comparisons should not be made between these rates and reports issued earlier than 2002, as those rates were based on the 1970 U.S. standard population.
• Rules governing the stage of cancer at diagnosis were modified starting in 2001. See the North American Association of  Central Cancer Registries site-specific comparison summary stage 1977 for more details on how this may impact data trends.

• Colorado Cancer Coalition's 2021-2025 Colorado Cancer Plan
• The Colorado Cancer Coalition
• Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Program
• Cancer, Cardiovascular and Chronic Pulmonary Disease Grants Program
• Health First Colorado's Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program 
• Women’s Wellness Connection