Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System: Background Legislation

State Legislation

The Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System was established in 1976 to collect cancer incidence data on Wisconsin residents as mandated by Wis. Stat. § 255.04. The statute specifies that hospitals, physicians, and certified laboratories must report cancerous and precancerous conditions to the state cancer registry in the manner prescribed by the Department of Health Services. It also specifies rules and restrictions to safeguard confidential data and its use in research.

Federal Legislation

In 1992, the Cancer Registries Amendment Act was passed to establish CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) support for statewide registries to collect basic data on cancer, such as incidence, stage, and treatment. By the end of 1994, 26 states, including Wisconsin, received funding through CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR). Currently, 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Pacific Island Jurisdictions, and the US Virgin Islands receive funding through CDC’s NPCR.

In October 2002, congress authorized the Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act. This federal mandate requires NPCR-participating cancer registries to collect data on all primary benign and borderline (non-cancerous) brain and central nervous system tumors in addition to the previously required malignant tumors. Data collection for the non-cancerous brain and central nervous system tumors started with cases diagnosed from January 1, 2004 onward.