Maryland Cancer Registry

Logo - Maryland Cancer Registry

The Maryland Cancer Registry (MCR) collects, maintains, and reports on cancer incidence in the State of Maryland. The MCR serves as a resource for decision making in cancer prevention and control throughout the State and for cancer research.

Program History

The MCR was initiated in 1982 to collect all incident (new) cancers in the State of Maryland.
The Maryland General Assembly enacted Maryland Health-General Articles §§ 18-203 and 18-204, effective July 1, 1991, that mandated reporting of all new cancer cases by hospitals, radiation therapy centers, and freestanding diagnostic laboratories that were licensed in Maryland. It further mandated the electronic submission of reports to the MCR as of July 1, 1993.
The reporting law was amended in 1996 to include reporting of non-hospitalized cancer patients by freestanding ambulatory care facilities, and by physicians whose non-hospitalized cancer patients are not otherwise reported, beginning with cases diagnosed on or after October 1, 1996.
In 2001, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law that required the reporting of benign brain and central nervous system tumors to the MCR, effective October 1, 2001.

The Maryland Cancer Registry is supported by Maryland General Funds, the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund, and by contract number U55/CCU321894 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Program of Central Registries

Learn More About the Maryland Cancer Registry

Maryland Cancer Reporting Laws and Regulations

Questions and Answers About Cancer Clusters

Information for Facilities Reporting to the MCR

Death Follow Back Frequently Asked Questions

General Frequently Asked Questions

Maryland Cancer Data Reports

Data Use Policy and IRB Link

Becoming a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR)