National Coordinating Council for Cancer Surveillance

The mission of the National Coordinating Council for Cancer Surveillance (NCCCS) is to coordinate cancer surveillance activities within the United States through communication and collaboration among major national cancer organizations, ensuring that the needs of cancer patients and the communities in which they live are fully served; that scarce resources are maximally used; and that the burden of cancer in the United States is adequately measured and ultimately reduced.

The NCCCS was created to provide a forum for examining the current state of cancer surveillance operations, identify the broad issues involved, recommend practical approaches that will facilitate the work of registries and contribute to the goal of coordinating data collection and improving data quality across the nation. The council enables these organizations to collaborate on cancer monitoring and registry operations.

Its members are:

• American Cancer Society (ACS)
• American College of Surgeons (ACoS)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA)
• North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR)

Partnership Activities

In 1996, the NCCCS formed a Brain Tumor Working Group in which CDC participates. In 1998, the Working Group released recommendations regarding standardization of the naming of brain tumors, collection of data on brain tumors by all cancer registries, and proper training for registrars on collecting brain tumor data. The Brain Tumor Working Group, currently chaired by CDC staff, is addressing the recommendations on collecting data on brain tumors and training for registrars to conduct this data collection.

Dee West, PhD, Chair
Director of the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry
Northern California Cancer Center
2201 Walnut Avenue, Suite 300
Fremont, CA 94538
Telephone: (510) 608-5000
Fax: (510) 608-5100