The Estonian Cancer Registry: foundation and further history

Figures & data

Table 1. Highlights in the activity of the ECR and associated research,^a since 1978.

Date/Year	Event
1978	On Jan. 16 the ECR is founded (Order of the Ministry of Health No. 14). The registry introduces the morphology section of the ICD-O (1976).
1980	At the initiative of the ECR the 3rd edition of TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours (1978) is translated into Estonian and published.
1983	The registry introduces the topography section of the ICD-O (1976), that was translated into Estonian and published in the previous year.
1985	At the initiative of the ECR the classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid malignancies in the morphology section of ICD-O (1976) is translated into Estonian and published.
1986	The East-German Cancer Registry and the ECR conclude a bilateral agreement on scientific cooperation for the years of 1986–1990.
1989	The ECR becomes a voting member of the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR).
1990	At the initiative of the ECR the 4th edition of TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours (1987) is translated into Estonian and published.
1991	The Finnish Cancer Registry and the ECR conclude a bilateral agreement on scientific cooperation for the years of 1991–1996.
1992	Incidence data from the ECR are published in the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series [7] for the first time.
1994	Work reorganization in the ECR, updating of database structure, new cancer notification forms introduced. The ECR becomes a member of the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR).
1995	Survival data from the ECR are published in the frames of the EUROCARE study for the first time [8].
1997	The National Science Award of the Republic of Estonia is given to the four authors of the statistical compendium Cancer in Estonia 1968–1992: incidence, mortality, prevalence, survival [9]. Atlas of cancer incidence in Estonia is published [10].
1998	Childhood cancer incidence data from the ECR are published in the International incidence of childhood cancer [11] for the first time.
2001	IARC, IACR and ENCR awarded the Diploma of International Appreciation to the ECR.^b
2007	IACR Honorary Membership is awarded to the 1st and 5th Head of the ECR.
2011	The new Public Health Act (March 10) contains a special chapter on databases, including the ECR.^c

^a The ECR’s staff as of February 2018 consists of five persons who ensure functioning of the registry. Research using registry data is conducted predominantly at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, National Institute for Health Development (before 2003 the IECM) on the basis of a competitive grant evaluation process.

^b This international moral support was provided to the cancer registry in a very tough time when, e.g., a high public health official had expressed an opinion that medical registries in Estonia are ‘golden eggs whose laying is a waste of money’ and that the ECR is a useless abstract database [12].

^c The ECR is defined as ‘a database belonging into the state information system which is maintained for analyzing the occurrence of cancer and survival of cancer patients, organizing health services, planning cancer control methods and evaluating the efficiency thereof as well as for organizing statistics on morbidity and for epidemiological research’ [13].

Figure 1. Challenges in the activity of the ECR and associated research, since 1978.

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