Attending NAACCR 2015 was an opportunity like none other available. The theme was “First in Flight: Launching a New Era in Cancer Surveillance”. The changing landscape of cancer surveillance and research activities and exploring opportunities to enhance cancer surveillance were highlighted. Examples of topics included “Launching a New Era in Cancer Research”, “Big Data”, “Launching a New Era of Registry Operations” and “Intersection of Pubic Health Surveillance and Clinical Medicine”.
I wished I could have attended all of the concurrent sessions but I was fortunate to attend many. Examples of the topics included “Mapping with Cancer, Demographic and Behavioral Risk Data”, A Review of 2012 Diagnosis Year Cases Submitted from Seven Pathology Laboratories in Illinois”., Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records: Electronic Physician Reporting to State Cancer Registries”, “When will Cancer Become the Leading Cause of Death in the United States”, Has Improved Imaging Contributed to Reduced Size at Diagnosis for Stage I Lung Adenocarcinomas”, and “Investigation of a Possible Link Between Pollution from WWII Military Facilities and Cancer in Yakutat, Alaska”.
The poster exhibits provided data and analysis of topics such as Evaluation of “likely Deceased” for Improving Follow-Up in Metropolitan Detroit SEER Data, 1973-1994, Cancer Trends in North Dakota Before and After the Oil Boon, and Increase in Rectal Cancer Death Rates Among Young Adults in the United States to name just a few.
The speakers and NAACCR board members and staff did an excellent job preparing and presenting the 2015 Annual Conference.