Reporting Cancer

Notifiable Disease Law:

Legal authority of the Georgia Department of Public Health (Department) to collect health information established the GCCR. The Official Code of Georgia Chapter 12 (O.C.G.A § 31-12-1) empowers the Department to "... conduct studies, research and training appropriate to the prevention of diseases..."; Official code (O.C.G.A § 31-12-2) allows the Department to require certain diseases and injuries to be reported in a manner and at such times as may be prescribed.

The Official Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A § 31-12-2a) addresses the confidentiality of information requested by the Department, and releases from civil liability providers reporting information. This code states, "...all such reports shall be deemed confidential and shall not be open to inspection by the public."

Who is Required to Report:

All health care providers in the state of Georgia are required to report specific information on cancer in their patient population to the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry. This includes all facilities providing diagnostic evaluations and/or treatment for cancer patients, including but not limited to:

  • Hospitals
  • Outpatient surgical facilities
  • Laboratories
  • Radiation therapy facilities
  • Medical oncology facilities
  • Physicians and Physician's Offices

In addition, reporting agreements are maintained with neighboring states so that Georgia residents who are diagnosed or treated in facilities out of state can be identified.

How to Report:

Electronic Reporting

To register for Electronic Reporting, please contact the Georgia Department of Public Health via email to [email protected].  You may register at the DPH Meaningful Use website: http://dph.georgia.gov/meaningful-use

Download this pdf file. GCCR Policy and Procedure Manual     

This manual outlines, in detail, how to report cancer data to GCCR.  It includes reporting guidelines, confidentiality issues, the required data set, and instructions for abstracting and coding.  It also includes information on the reporting law, Georgia county codes, cancer abstracting resources, and a special section for Abstract Plus users.

2007 Multiple Primary and Histology Rules    

This manual presents the first site-specific multiple primary and histology rules developed to promote consistent and standardized coding by cancer registrars.  It contains site-specific rules for lung, breast, colon, melanoma of the skin, head and neck, kidney, renal pelvis/ureter/bladder, and malignant brain.  It also contains a separate set of rules addressing the specific and general rules for all other sites.

AJCC Staging Videos on YouTube    

These videos cover topics related to the Collaborative Stage Data Collection and Coding System.  The presentations will provide useful training for Cancer Registrars.

2018 Implementation and Timeline

For updates on the 2018 implementation and timeline for the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual, Eighth Edition, please refer to the NAACCR website:  https://www.naaccr.org/2018-implementation/

An important message from the AJCC regarding the Eighth Edition breast cancer staging system:   Download this pdf file. AJCC Eighth Edition Update to Breast Chapter   

The Guidelines for ICD-O-3 Histology Code and Behavior Update for cases diagnosed 1/1/2018 forward have been released and are now available on the NAACCR website.  The update includes links to tables listing new codes and other changes and is available in two formats: .pdf and Excel. The NAACCR ICD-O-3 Implementation Work Group highly recommends all users read the guidelines which contain valuable information related to the 2018 update.  https://www.naaccr.org/2018-implementation/#Histology

The Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) announces the publication by Oxford University Press of its latest report, CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2010-2014. The Report is a Supplement to the Society for Neuro-Oncology official journal, Neuro-Oncology, and is available online at https://cbtrus.org/reports/.

Download this pdf file. Georgia Cancer Registry COVID-19 Guidelines

Congratulations to Georgia Hospitals on Achieving 90% Completeness by October 30, 2017

On November 7, 2017, 30 Georgia Hospitals received an award for achieving 90% data completeness for calendar year 2016 by October 30, 2017. Of the 30 hospitals, two hospitals received Platinum Award and one received Gold Award.  Download this pdf file. 2017 Award Program at GATRA   

Page last updated 12/1/2020