Population-wide implementation of comprehensive cancer registration in Germany—overview article on current status quo and future perspectives

Background The landscape of the existing population-based cancer registries (CRs) has evolved significantly in Germany since 2008. This overview article presents the general framework of cancer registration in Germany, with a particular focus on harmonization and standardization of data collection and registration processes. Moreover, it outlines key challenges and limitations and illustrates both current status and future scope of utilization of comprehensive CR data with clinical and epidemiological relevance. Materials and methods Federal and state legislation, resources such as the nationally standardized oncological core dataset for cancer reporting and its technical specifications, jointly developed and maintained by consortia of the CRs and stakeholders, as well as registration recommendations of national and international organizations, have contributed to harmonization, standardization, and validation of data collection and registration processes. Results The current scope of utilization of CR data is illustrated through a variety of topical examples, including consecutive monitoring of cancer burden on a population level, evaluation of the effectiveness of early detection and screening programs, monitoring of the provision of cancer care and implementation of clinical practice guidelines, and identification of gaps between evidence-based recommendations and real-world practice. Linkage with external real-world data and usage of CR data for novel study designs and research methods are gaining importance. Conclusions This overview concludes with current developments and perspectives on future directions regarding both the national developments and integration of CRs into the European Health Data Space.