There were 80 cancer survivors who were honored during the March Against Cancer earlier this year, Deputy Health Secretary Lynn Tenorio said.
The latest data showed that there were 160 cases of tumor morbidity by classification, gender, ethnicity in 2007, or 102 less compared to the 262 cases in 2006.
Cancer was the cause of nearly 12 percent of recorded deaths in 2005.
According to the Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, lung cancer is most prevalent among men and breast cancer among women.
There is also a high rate of cervical cancer in the CNMI.
Public Health medical director Dr. Richard Brostrom said every seven weeks a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The bill to establish a CNMI cancer registry was introduced by Rep. Ralph DLG Torres, R-Saipan.
H.B. 16-126 states that the cancer registry will collect information on all cases of cancer occurring in CNMI.
This will help Public Health to analyze and compare data in appropriate ways and annually prepare and distribute a report.
The bill mandates any person doing diagnostic or treatment for cancer patients to report each new case to Public Health.
This report will contain data concerning demographic information about each case of cancer, information in the industrial or occupational history of the individual with the cancers, to the extent such information is available from the same record, administrative information, including date of diagnosis and source of information, pathological data characterizing the cancer, including the cancer site, stage of disease, incidence, the type treatment and other information.
