Klin Onkol 2010; 23(6): 408-415.
Summary
Important and increasing contribution of malignant tumours on the total number of deaths in developed and later also in developing countries led in the middle of previous century to the formulation of preventive cancer control programs. Eroneus interpretation of epidemiological as well as results obtained on laboratory animals, the general acceptance that the etiology of nearly all human malignant tumours is known, declarative character of these programs, orientation on large scale of cancer sites, ignorance of local priorities, avaiting the positive results in short time together with limited material and personal resources led to the failure of majority of cancer control programs. Moreover.the formation and implementation of these programs remained all the time behind dramatic increase of cancer. Actually cancer control programs are based on generally accepted fact that the causes of about 40% of cancers are known and therefore preventable. Possibilities of treatement roughly 33% of cancer cases provide the aims of secondary prevention .The essential basis of the performance of cancer control programs is their surveillance which was succesfully used in prevention of infectious diseases. In oncology surveillance encompasses the systematic collection of detailed data on actual and future burden and development of cancer incicence and mortality in given population, as well as on diagnostic, treatment and overall care of cancer patients. Information of this kind could be derived only from population based cancer registries which are also valuable for the evaluation and monitoring of the results of national cancer control programs.
