Cancer Control Center Osaka International Cancer Institute

The Cancer Control Center promotes cancer control and prevention through epidemiological research and public health activities, in cooperation with the Department of Public Health and Medical Affairs, Osaka Prefectural Government as well as other relevant organizations. Our top priority is cancer control planning and evaluation.

Our activities include:
  • Contributing to cancer control planning and initiatives in Osaka and throughout Japan
  • Maintaining the population-based cancer registry (Osaka Cancer Registry), the hospital-based cancer registry, and mortality statistics
  • Evaluating health policies through epidemiological analyses



About the Osaka Cancer Registry

General Overview

The Osaka Cancer Registry (OCR), a population-based cancer registry in Osaka, has been in operation since December 1962, collecting and reporting data on cancer in Osaka Prefecture. In January 2016, the Japanese government enacted the Cancer Registration Promotion Act, which mandates that all hospitals and designated clinics across Japan register cancer information. The OCR is commissioned by Osaka Prefecture and is located within the Osaka International Cancer Institute, and serves as the central registry for all cancer registration activities in Osaka. The Department of Public Health and Medical Affairs, Osaka Prefectural Government provides financial support for the registry, and is investigating the prognosis of registered cases by 2015 by referring to resident registers in local municipal offices. The Cancer Control Center (Director: Isao Miyashiro, M.D., Ph.D.) at the Osaka International Cancer Institute collects cancer case information from hospitals and clinics, and is responsible for cancer registration, data analysis, and result reporting, as well as organizing training sessions for registrar.

As of 2018, the OCR had accumulated data on over one million cancer cases. Cancer incidence data from Osaka have been reported in Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, Volumes II–XII, published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). For over 40 years, the quality of these data has met the standards established by the IARC.



Main Objectives

1. To report cancer incidence, survival, and mortality in Osaka.
2. To compile statistics on the medical care of patients with cancer in Osaka.
3. To support the planning and evaluation of cancer control programs.
4. To provide cancer-related statistical information obtained through registration to patients, their families,
　prefectural residents, and the general public.
5. To distribute cancer statistics and other information generated by the registry to participating medical
　institutions and health administrators in Osaka to assist and promote cancer control activities.
6. To promote the use of registry data for epidemiological and clinical research.