The Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR)

The Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR) is considered one of the first national registries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It was established in 1992 under the supervision of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) in Riyadh, with the participation of many organizations in health sector; Armed Forces Hospital in Riyadh, National Guard Hospital in Riyadh, King Saud University Hospital, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, King Faisal University Hospital and Security Forces Hospital. SCR began registering cancer cases in the Kingdom since January 1994. In 2014, it was moved under the authority of the Saudi Health Council (SHC). The SCR offices located in the various provinces within the Kingdom, trained registrars are dispatched to every hospital, clinic or laboratory and register every newly diagnosed cancer patient. Cancer centers with hospital-based registries transfer data electronically to the main office of the SCR at the SHC. The SCR collects demographic data including full name, date of birth, region where diagnosis was made and topography of the cancer. Cancer incidence data are reported annually, and reports are published by the National Cancer Center of SHC. The statistical information provided by the SCR was significant for the development of cancer prevention and care in the KSA during the past thirty years.