Pediatric Cancer Registry

Under a Florida state statutory mandate, a statewide pediatric cancer registry was created and has been in operation since 1980 to monitor incidence and prevalence of cancers in children. The Statewide Patient Information Reporting System (SPIRS) is a distinctive data system designed to identify and follow-up on children with cancer. SPIRS includes registration and follow-up data collected for each patient diagnosed and treated at a FAPTP Center. Patients are registered in SPIRS from each of the 16 pediatric hematology/oncology centers and include all those less than 21 years of age who present with malignancies or potentially disabling benign tumors. Patient data is submitted by data managers from each treatment site to the FAPTP Central Office in Tampa where the staff records, processes, analyzes, and reports the information. Registration data includes demographic and diagnostic information about the new patient, while follow-up data represents a yearly check on the patient’s progress.

The SPIRS system is unmatched in the United States and is used to:

• identify trends in the incidence and prevalence of childhood cancer
• evaluate childhood cancer-care patterns to promote the availability of state-of-the-art care
• monitor treatment facilities for quality control for the state of Florida
• provide information for program planning and development