§280e. National program of cancer registries

(a) In general

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, may make grants to States, or may make grants or enter into contracts with academic or nonprofit organizations designated by the State to operate the State's cancer registry in lieu of making a grant directly to the State, to support the operation of population-based, statewide cancer registries in order to collect, for each form of in-situ and invasive cancer (with the exception of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin), data concerning-

(1) demographic information about each case of cancer;

(2) information on the industrial or occupational history of the individuals with the cancers, to the extent such information is available from the same record;

(3) administrative information, including date of diagnosis and source of information;

(4) pathological data characterizing the cancer, including the cancer site, stage of disease (pursuant to Staging Guide), incidence, and type of treatment; and

(5) other elements determined appropriate by the Secretary.

(b) Matching funds

(1) In general

The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) of this section only if the State, or the academic or nonprofit private organization designated by the State to operate the cancer registry of the State, involved agrees, with respect to the costs of the program, to make available (directly or through donations from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions toward such costs in an amount that is not less than 25 percent of such costs or $1 for every $3 of Federal funds provided in the grant.

(2) Determination of amount of non-Federal contribution; maintenance of effort

(A) Non-Federal contributions required in paragraph (1) may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services. Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be included in determining the amount of such non-Federal contributions.

(B) With respect to a State in which the purpose described in subsection (a) of this section is to be carried out, the Secretary, in making a determination of the amount of non-Federal contributions provided under paragraph (1), may include only such contributions as are in excess of the amount of such contributions made by the State toward the collection of data on cancer for the fiscal year preceding the first year for which a grant under subsection (a) of this section is made with respect to the State. The Secretary may decrease the amount of non-Federal contributions that otherwise would have been required by this subsection in those cases in which the State can demonstrate that decreasing such amount is appropriate because of financial hardship.

(c) Eligibility for grants

(1) In general

No grant shall be made by the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section unless an application has been submitted to, and approved by, the Secretary. Such application shall be in such form, submitted in such a manner, and be accompanied by such information, as the Secretary may specify. No such application may be approved unless it contains assurances that the applicant will use the funds provided only for the purposes specified in the approved application and in accordance with the requirements of this section, that the application will establish such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure proper disbursement and accounting of Federal funds paid to the applicant under subsection (a) of this section, and that the applicant will comply with the peer review requirements under sections 289 and 289a of this title.

(2) Assurances

Each applicant, prior to receiving Federal funds under subsection (a) of this section, shall provide assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that the applicant will-

(A) provide for the establishment of a registry in accordance with subsection (a) of this section;

(B) comply with appropriate standards of completeness, timeliness, and quality of population-based cancer registry data;

(C) provide for the annual publication of reports of cancer data under subsection (a) of this section; and

(D) provide for the authorization under State law of the statewide cancer registry, including promulgation of regulations providing-

(i) a means to assure complete reporting of cancer cases (as described in subsection (a) of this section) to the statewide cancer registry by hospitals or other facilities providing screening, diagnostic or therapeutic services to patients with respect to cancer;

(ii) a means to assure the complete reporting of cancer cases (as defined in subsection (a) of this section) to the statewide cancer registry by physicians, surgeons, and all other health care practitioners diagnosing or providing treatment for cancer patients, except for cases directly referred to or previously admitted to a hospital or other facility providing screening, diagnostic or therapeutic services to patients in that State and reported by those facilities;

(iii) a means for the statewide cancer registry to access all records of physicians and surgeons, hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, and all other facilities, individuals, or agencies providing such services to patients which would identify cases of cancer or would establish characteristics of the cancer, treatment of the cancer, or medical status of any identified patient;

(iv) for the reporting of cancer case data to the statewide cancer registry in such a format, with such data elements, and in accordance with such standards of quality timeliness and completeness, as may be established by the Secretary;

(v) for the protection of the confidentiality of all cancer case data reported to the statewide cancer registry, including a prohibition on disclosure to any person of information reported to the statewide cancer registry that identifies, or could lead to the identification of, an individual cancer patient, except for disclosure to other State cancer registries and local and State health officers;

(vi) for a means by which confidential case data may in accordance with State law be disclosed to cancer researchers for the purposes of cancer prevention, control and research;

(vii) for the authorization or the conduct, by the statewide cancer registry or other persons and organizations, of studies utilizing statewide cancer registry data, including studies of the sources and causes of cancer, evaluations of the cost, quality, efficacy, and appropriateness of diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, and preventative services and programs relating to cancer, and any other clinical, epidemiological, or other cancer research; and

(viii) for protection for individuals complying with the law, including provisions specifying that no person shall be held liable in any civil action with respect to a cancer case report provided to the statewide cancer registry, or with respect to access to cancer case information provided to the statewide cancer registry.

(d) Relationship to certain programs

(1) In general

This section may not be construed to act as a replacement for or diminishment of the program carried out by the Director of the National Cancer Institute and designated by such Director as the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER).

(2) Supplanting of activities

In areas where both such programs exist, the Secretary shall ensure that SEER support is not supplanted and that any additional activities are consistent with the guidelines provided for in subsection (c)(2)(C) and (D) of this section and are appropriately coordinated with the existing SEER program.

(3) Transfer of responsibility

The Secretary may not transfer administration responsibility for such SEER program from such Director.

(4) Coordination

To encourage the greatest possible efficiency and effectiveness of Federally supported efforts with respect to the activities described in this subsection, the Secretary shall take steps to assure the appropriate coordination of programs supported under this part with existing Federally supported cancer registry programs.

(e) Requirement regarding certain study on breast cancer

In the case of a grant under subsection (a) of this section to any State specified in subsection (b) of section 280e–3 of this title, the Secretary may establish such conditions regarding the receipt of the grant as the Secretary determines are necessary to facilitate the collection of data for the study carried out under such section.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, §399B, formerly §399H, as added Pub. L. 102–515, §3, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3372 ; renumbered §399B and amended Pub. L. 106–310, div. A, title V, §502(2)(A), (B), Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1115 .)

Amendments

2000-Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–310, §502(2)(B), substituted "subsection (b) of section 280e–3 of this title" for "section 280e–3(b) of this title" and "such section" for "section 399C".

Change of Name

Centers for Disease Control changed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Pub. L. 102–531, title III, §312, Oct. 27, 1992, 106 Stat. 3504 .

Congressional Findings and Purpose

Section 2 of Pub. L. 102–515 provided that:

"(a) Findings.-Congress finds that-

"(1) cancer control efforts, including prevention and early detection, are best addressed locally by State health departments that can identify unique needs;

"(2) cancer control programs and existing statewide population-based cancer registries have identified cancer incidence and cancer mortality rates that indicate the burden of cancer for Americans is substantial and varies widely by geographic location and by ethnicity;

"(3) statewide cancer incidence and cancer mortality data, can be used to identify cancer trends, patterns, and variation for directing cancer control intervention;

"(4) the American Association of Central Cancer Registries (AACCR) cites that of the 50 States, approximately 38 have established cancer registries, many are not statewide and 10 have no cancer registry; and

"(5) AACCR also cites that of the 50 States, 39 collect data on less than 100 percent of their population, and less than half have adequate resources for insuring minimum standards for quality and for completeness of case information.

"(b) Purpose.-It is the purpose of this Act [enacting this part and provisions set out as a note under section 201 of this title] to establish a national program of cancer registries."

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 280e–1, 280e–3 of this title.