FCDS Director, Gary Levin, Reflects on 35 Years in Cancer Surveillance

By Stephanie M. Hill, MPH, CTR, NAACCR | January 12, 2026

With his retirement date fast approaching, I asked Gary Levin, long-time director of the Florida Cancer Data System, to reflect on his 35 years in the cancer surveillance field. Gary was a 2025 recipient of the Calum S. Muir Memorial Award in recognition of his leadership and service to NAACCR and for the promotion of…

Advancing Global Collaboration in Childhood Cancer Research: Data Resource Mapping and Federated Network Matrix

By Fernanda Michels | January 5, 2026

In November 2023, the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) (with support from NAACCR) and the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) co-sponsored the Paris Conference for an International Childhood Cancer Data Partnership. Organized within the framework of the first working group of the G7 Cancer Initiative and supported by the European Commission, the meeting brought together…

An Interview with Our New RDU Chair

By Recinda Sherman, PhD, MPH, ODS-C | December 29, 2025

An Interview with our new Research and Date Use Committee Chair It was so much fun interviewing the RDU Co-Chairs last December that I decided to interview our newest Co-Chair, Angela Eckstrand, this December Angela replaced Jeff Dowden (our resident rock star) from the Newfoundland Cancer Registry when his tenure ended. Yes, this means both…

Jumping on the Social Media Bandwagon; Strategic Planning and Alliances Steering Committee Social Media Campaign

By Monique Hernandez, PhD | February 9, 2026

Social media has become a central, if not a primary vehicle for public health communication and campaigns. It helps with reaching a broader audience, promoting health literacy, countering misinformation through posting evidence-based content, and raising awareness about specific health issues, risks, and solutions. Over 80% of U.S. State Departments of Health now have a social…

Benefits of Metafile Testing for Central Registries

By Elaine Collins | February 2, 2026

Testing new metafiles is a great opportunity for central registries to participate in the edit process. For standard metafiles, you get to review new edits, find concept and logic errors, comment on their usefulness and impact they might have on your data, and perhaps even suggest other likely edits. For call for data (CFD) metafiles,…

NCCR Winter Feature

By Fernanda Michels | January 26, 2026

The NCCR Feature Winter Edition highlights the NCCR 2025 Accomplishments and promotes the release of the 2025 AACR Pediatric Cancer Progress Report. 2025 NCCR ACCOMPLISHMENTS NCCR Data Platform Updates Imagine having access to comprehensive cancer surveillance data for children, adolescents, and young adults all in one place—linked to real-world evidence that tells the complete story.…

Browse Sections

OUR MISSION

Actionable content that unites cancer registries.

The Narrative strives to provide you with information you can use to enhance and strengthen your cancer registry. Look to the Narrative for the latest cancer surveillance news, trends, advances in technology, and latest educational opportunities.

OUR VISION

Make every cancer count.

Cancer affects thousands of people across North America every year. Each cancer case must contribute to our knowledge and understanding so that we may reduce the burden of these diseases. Narrative provides a platform for the cancer surveillance community to collaborate and share data that will improve health outcomes.

CANCER REGISTRY SPOTLIGHT: MICHIGAN

Successful Linkage Between Registry Database and LexisNexis

In our ongoing commitment to enhance the quality and accessibility of data, we are thrilled to announce the successful linkage between our registry database and LexisNexis. This integration represents a significant step forward in streamlining our data processes and expanding our analytical capabilities.