The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center’s (UHCC) Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry was awarded $1.8 million from the National Cancer Institute to continue participating in the institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program.
The registry has provided incidence and survival data on all cases of cancer in Hawaiʻi since 1973. The award includes a potential of additional nine years of funding for a total award of more than $21 million.
“The Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry plays a vital role in cancer research and cancer control activities locally and nationally,” said Brenda Hernandez, UHCC principal investigator. “It is particularly notable for its contribution to addressing the burden of cancer in Asian and Pacific Island ethnic groups that are not well-represented in the U.S.”
As one of only 16 newly funded National Cancer Institute-SEER regions nationwide, the registry collects detailed information on the more than 7,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed in Hawaiʻi residents annually, as well as follow-up and survival data. Since its inception as a SEER registry in 1973, the registry’s surveillance has covered approximately 200,000 Hawaiʻi cancer cases.
Said U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono, “For nearly 50 years, the Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry has provided valuable insight that informs cancer prevention and research efforts, especially in Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. This federal funding will allow the cancer center to continue this important work toward developing new treatments and, eventually, a cure.”
“The first step to beating cancer is to understand the disease, and that’s exactly what the Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry allows us to do,” added U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “With this funding, our state will have the resources we need to collect data—including information about how cancer affects minorities—to help researchers, doctors and others fight for a cure.”
For more information, go to the UH Cancer Center news release.
—By Nana Ohkawa
