June 2022 Newsletter

Our Cancer Center Showcase series continues with The University of Kansas Cancer Center located in Kansas City, KS. The University of Kansas Health System is comprised of ten facilities and the cancer registry collects more than 7,000 cancer cases annually.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s first continuous CoC accreditation began in 1934 and they have received multiple Outstanding Achievement awards. The cancer center received the NCI Cancer Center designation in 2012 and is currently pending review for the Comprehensive Cancer Center designation. In addition to these accreditations, The University of Kansas Cancer Center has held NAPBC accreditation since 2017.

The cancer registry consists of 21 staff CTRs, including one manager and one supervisor. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cancer registry was 80% remote with 20% of staff working a hybrid schedule. At the start of the pandemic, the team moved to being 100% remote. The team will continue the remote model and give local staff members the opportunity to work on site as needed. The registry staff shares remarkable longevity with a 10-year average of service to the health system and five staff members with more than 15 years of service.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center registry team collaborates with other oncology stake holders within the health system ...

One of the exciting new initiatives being developed at my cancer program is the creation of a stand-alone radiation oncology center which will house a proton therapy unit. Although the concept of treating cancer with protons has been increasing over the last decade, there has been a paucity of these dedicated units throughout the United States. Since one of the critical goals of our cancer registries is to capture data relating to new treatment modalities, I thought a short overview dealing with proton therapy would be welcomed. 

Proton therapy is a newer type of radiation therapy that uses energy from positively charged particles (protons). A machine called a synchrotron or cyclotron speeds up protons. The high speed of these protons creates high energy which allows the protons to travel to the desired depth in the body. The protons then give the targeted radiation dose in the tumor which results in less radiation dose outside of the tumor. In conventional external beam radiation therapy, x-rays continue to give radiation doses that may damage nearby healthy tissues, possibly increasing adverse side effects. Proton therapy may also be used if the cancer remains or recurs after traditional external beam radiation.

Compared with conventional radiation therapy, proton therapy has several benefits:

• Usually, up to 60% less radiation can be delivered to the healthy tissues around the tumor. This lowers the risk of radiation damage to these tissues.
• It may allow for a higher radiation dose to the tumor. This increases the chances that all of the tumor cells targeted by the proton therapy will be destroyed. 
• It may cause fewer and less severe side effects such as low blood counts, fatigue, and nausea during and after treatment.

Proton therapy has shown promise in treating several kinds of cancer including CNS tumors, ocular melanoma, head and neck cancers, prostate cancer and pediatric malignancies. Clinical trials are investigating proton therapy as a treatment for several other types of cancer. Few studies, however, have compared proton radiation against conventional radiation using photons. As this form of radiation oncologic treatment becomes more widespread, the challenges of capturing data relating to this treatment will increase. Be on the lookout for a proton therapy unit near you!

An advisory board is a group of professionals with a common interest that provides non-binding strategic input to support the initiatives and goals of an organization. Did you know that Health Information Technology (HIT) programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) must have an advisory committee or board representative of each of its communities of interest? The advisory committee responsibilities include assisting program faculty, supporting educational institution personnel with the development and revision of program goals and curriculum, monitoring program needs and expectations, and ensuring program responsiveness to change. The advisory committee must meet annually, at minimum. When warranted, the advisory committee will meet more frequently to review program goals, curricula, etc.

Why do I serve on an advisory board representing the cancer registry profession? Volunteering on an advisory board gives me a sense of purpose and helps me to stay informed on health information technology and management changes in curriculum that may indirectly impact our profession. I have the opportunity to share ideas and what's new in the cancer registry profession. It increases my awareness in other health related fields and what's going on within my community at both a local level and nationally. Being on the advisory board allows me to participate in webinars highlighting best practices in my role or profession. Serving on the advisory committee is an excellent opportunity for students to hear from cancer registry professionals who are in the industry.

I'm honored to serve with my colleagues as a board member on the ERS Advisory Board to explore concepts and strategies that will enhance the importance of the cancer registries and help ensure that ERS products enable cancer programs to reach their full potential which ultimately benefits cancer patients.

The latest episode of the Cancer Registry World podcast featuring guest Mellisa Wheeler, MHA, Director of Community Outreach at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute is available now! Mellisa joins Dr. Frederick L. Greene, CMO, to discuss the role of cancer registry data in the design and implementation of successful community outreach activities for the prevention and screening of cancer.

Previous episodes with guests Lillie D. Shockney, Co-Founder of AONN+, and NCRA President, Karen Mason, are still available on our website or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, including ApplePodcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

The original NCDB requirements for the collection of the four SARS-CoV-2 fields were for cases diagnosed in 2020-2021. With the persistence of COVID-19 diagnosis nationwide, some states have extended the requirement through 2022 and perhaps beyond. It is suggested to check with your state's central registry for their 2022 requirements for data collection of these fields before discontinuing data collection. In addition, some of these states have not included edits for these fields in their metafiles. 

The four fields are:

• NAACCR Item Number 3943 - NCDB-SARSCoV2 - Test
• NAACCR Item Number 3944 - NCDB-SARSCoV2 - Pos
• NAACCR Item Number 3945 - NCDB-SARSCoV2 - Pos Dat
• NAACCR Item Number 3946 - NCDB-COVID19 - Tx Impact

Is your state looking for speakers for it's fall conference? State cancer registry associations are in the planning stages of fall educational conferences and we would love to help!

Topics include Edit Enlightenment: Conquering GenEdits and Metafiles, 100 Years of the Commission on Cancer: Implications for Cancer Registrars and Registries, and Automated Data Exchange: Approaches to Revitalize your Cancer Registry. Our speakers can also customize a topic just for your organization, such as cancer site specific topics.

Our speakers can present virtually or in person at your conference, meeting, educational session and more! Click the link below to learn more about the ERS Speakers Bureau.

A good bit of computer security is trying to teach good habits that will prevent people from making mistakes. As security officers, we worry less about the bad agents who can get into our system and more about the people we work with who will let the bad agents into our system, often as an innocent unintended consequence. One problem that seems to repeat itself, even among IT people who should know better, is for people to make an exception to their general rule. Perhaps it's on website that they frequent often and want to save their credentials so they can save time gaining access. Perhaps it's the use of a home computer that hasn't been secured by your company for company use. Or maybe a password written down somewhere that other people can find. 

Most people seem to think their one exception isn't a risk. Until it is. Sometimes bad agents just need that one step to get to data we don't want them to get to. It's up to us to be the guardians of the data we are entrusted with. Remember, behind the data there are real people, with real diseases, that we want to protect. Please be diligent and always consistent in your efforts to keep security at the forefront. Be inconvenienced by security settings and procedures. Your simple actions may save untold headaches and heartaches. Be aware. Be mindful. And lock it up.

Do you love CRStar?

So do we and we are offering our loyal customers the chance to earn a $200 gift card when a Cancer Program that you refer becomes an ERS customer!

Please click "Refer CRStar" below if you know of any Cancer Programs that could benefit from CRStar and the advantages that CRStar users enjoy and rely on.

Let's grow our CRStar community together!

Terms and conditions can be found on the CRStar Referral Form.

View a CRStar video

Read user stories

Visit our website

ERS, Inc. | www.mycrstar.com