Cancer Registry Regulation

(Consolidated up to 186/2025) ALBERTA REGULATION 71/2009 Provincial Health Agencies Act CANCER REGISTRY REGULATION Table of Contents 1 Definitions 3 Collection of information 4 Use and disclosure of information 5 Agreements 6 Duty to report 7 Reportable information – physicians 8 Reportable information – laboratories 9 Offences 10 Expiry 11 Coming into force Definitions 1 In this Regulation, (a) “applicable Minister” means (i) the sector Minister where the cancer registrar is a provincial health agency, (ii) the responsible Minister where the cancer registrar is a provincial health corporation, or (iii) the oversight Minister where the cancer registrar is another person or body; (b) “cancer registrar” means the provincial health agency, provincial health corporation or other person or body designated under section 11.1(1.1) of the Act; (c) “reportable cancer” means a disease listed in the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology published by the World Health Organization, as amended from time to time. AR 71/2009 s1;125/2024;186/2025 2 Repealed AR 216/2024 s1. Collection of information 3 (1) The cancer registry must contain the information respecting a reportable cancer obtained under section 6. (2) The cancer registry may contain information (a) obtained from approved hospitals and out patient clinics and programs operated or delivered by hospital operators, (a.1) obtained from provincial health agencies, provincial health corporations, health services delivery organizations or other health services providers, (a.2) obtained from clinics and programs operated or delivered by provincial health agencies, provincial health corporations, health services delivery organizations or other health services providers, (a.3) repealed AR 186/2025 s3, (b) obtained from a facility as defined in the Mental Health Act , (b.1) obtained from a public hospital as defined in the Health Facilities Act , (c) obtained under section 22(5) of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act , and (d) obtained from any other source specified by the applicable Minister. (3) The information in the cancer registry is private and confidential. AR 71/2009 s3;125/2024;216/2024;185/2025;186/2025 Use and disclosure of information 4 (1) The information in the cancer registry may be used for the following purposes: (a) to assess and improve the standards of treatment and care provided to cancer patients; (b) to assist in the treatment and care of the person who is the subject of the information; (c) to assist in cancer research, education and prevention; (d) to compile statistics on cancer; (e) any other purpose specified by the applicable Minister. (2) The cancer registrar shall disclose information in the cancer registry (a) to the applicable Minister in the manner and form specified by the applicable Minister, (b) to any person specified by the applicable Minister where the applicable Minister believes it is in the public interest that the information be disclosed to that person, and (c) to any person when required by law. (3) The cancer registrar may disclose the information in the cancer registry in the following circumstances: (a) to the person who is the subject of the information or to that person’s designate or legal representative; (b) in statistical form if the person who is the subject of the information is not revealed or made identifiable; (c) to a person conducting bona fide research or a medical review if the disclosure is made in a manner that ensures the confidentiality of the information; (d) to a person authorized to receive the information under an agreement referred to in section 5; (e) to a person or class of persons authorized to receive the information by the regulations. AR 71/2009 s4;125/2024;216/2024 Agreements 5 (1) The applicable Minister or the cancer registrar with the approval of the applicable Minister may enter into an agreement with the Government of Canada or the government of a province or territory or with any person that relates to the disclosure of information in the cancer registry. (2) An agreement under subsection (1) shall require that the information disclosed remain confidential. AR 71/2009 s5;125/2024;216/2024 Duty to report 6 (1) A physician who knows or has reason to believe that a patient under the physician’s care or supervision has a reportable cancer shall, as soon as practicable, provide the cancer registrar with the information set out in section 7. (2) A person who is responsible for a laboratory in which an examination of a specimen from a human body is conducted that reveals a reportable cancer shall, as soon as practicable, provide the cancer registrar with the information set out in section 8. (3) After receiving information under subsection (1) or (2), the cancer registrar may request the physician or person responsible for the laboratory to provide any additional information that the regional health authority considers necessary respecting the reportable cancer, the person who has cancer or the examination. AR 71/2009 s6;216/2024 Reportable information – physicians 7 For the purposes of section 6(1), the following information must be provided by a physician to the cancer registrar: (a) the following patient data: (i) name, including last name, maiden name if applicable and first name, and initials for any other names; (ii) gender; (iii) date of birth; (iv) place of birth; (v) Alberta personal health number; (vi) patient’s address, including postal code, at time of diagnosis; (vii) vital status; (viii) diagnosis; (ix) date of diagnosis; (x) method of diagnosis; (xi) name and address of physician; (xii) treatment (type and date) administered to the patient; (xiii) place, date and cause of death; (b) the following tumour data: (i) anatomical localization of the tumour; (ii) morphology of the tumour; (iii) histologic grade of the tumour; (iv) stage of the disease at diagnosis; (v) site of metastasis, if appropriate; (vi) laterality of the tumour, if appropriate; (vii) multi-focal tumour, if appropriate; (viii) other critical prognostic variables, if appropriate; (ix) all clinical and epidemiological information pertinent to the diagnosis and treatment. AR 71/2009 s7;216/2024 Reportable information – laboratories 8 For the purposes of section 6(2), the following information must be provided by the person responsible for a laboratory to the cancer registrar: (a) the following laboratory data: (i) name of the laboratory; (ii) address of the laboratory; (b) the following patient data: (i) name, including last name, maiden name if applicable and first name, and initials for any other names; (ii) address, if available; (iii) Alberta personal health number; (iv) date of test result (final report); (c) the following site-specific tumour data: (i) anatomical localization of the tumour; (ii) morphology of the tumour; (iii) histologic grade of the tumour, if appropriate; (iv) information relevant to staging, if appropriate; (v) site of metastasis, if appropriate; (vi) laterality of the tumour, if appropriate; (vii) other critical prognostic variables, if appropriate; (viii) other information that the laboratory considers appropriate. AR 71/2009 s8;216/2024 Offences 9 (1) No person shall disclose information in the cancer registry to a person unless disclosure of information to that person is authorized under section 4. (2) No person shall review or examine the information in the cancer registry unless disclosure of the information to that person is authorized under section 4. (3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not more than $10 000. Expiry 10 For the purpose of ensuring that this Regulation is reviewed for ongoing relevancy and necessity, with the option that it may be repassed in its present or an amended form following a review, this Regulation expires on November 30, 2035. AR 71/2009 s10;50/2015;17/2018;185/2025 Coming into force 11 This Regulation comes into force on the coming into force of section 7 of the Health Governance Transition Act .