Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System
DHS marks 50 years of the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System!
Read our WCRS 50th Anniversary Press Release for more information.
The Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (WCRS) is a population-based central cancer registry that collects and tracks data on cancer cases in Wisconsin. WCRS collects high-quality data on new cancers (incidence) and death rates (mortality) to:
- Monitor cancer trends over time.
- Show cancer patterns in various populations and identify high-risk groups.
- Guide planning and evaluation of cancer control programs.
- Help set priorities for allocating health resources.
- Advance research.
Registry operations
Data collection
WCRS collects cancer incidence data from several sources. These include Wisconsin hospitals, clinics, physicians, and laboratories, national laboratories that provide services to Wisconsinites, other state, territorial, and regional cancer registries, and Wisconsin resident death files.
Data maintenance
Quality control is essential for the approximately 40,000 new cancer cases reported each year. To maintain high quality data, WCRS applies automated checks and flags for errors, conducts manual review, and performs regular audits. We also conduct linkage and deduplication, and provide education and training.
Data use
WCRS provides comprehensive registry data directly to online platforms and publications anyone can explore for free.
WCRS also supports hundreds of local and national research studies designed to improve cancer prevention and long-term control.
Nationally recognized for data quality
The WCRS is recognized by CDC's (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) as a CDC Registry of Excellence. This achievement indicates WCRS met the CDC NPCR Advanced National Data Quality and Completeness Standard for its latest annual data submission.
Additionally, the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) recognizes WCRS as a certified registry for both incidence (Gold Standard), as well as survival and prevalence data. Gold Standard for registry certification indicates WCRS achieved the highest NAACCR standard for complete, accurate, and timely data for its latest annual submission.
Disclaimer
WCRS acknowledges the CDC for its support of this web content under CDC Cooperative Agreement DP22-2202, NU58DP007146. The content is solely the responsibility of WCRS and does not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.