The data items to be collected by a registry are dictated by the purpose for which the registry has been established, by the method of data collection used and by the resources available to the registry. However, the emphasis should be on the quality of the data collected rather than on the quantity. It is advisable that registries in developing countries should start by attempting to collect only information on the basic items listed in . A unique registration number (cancer registry number) is assigned by the registry to each patient. If a patient has more than one primary tumour, the same number is given to each.
