The Pros and Cons of Cancer Registration E. Grundmann It may seem strange for somebody to hold a symposium on cancer regis tration and then submit a paper under the heading "The Pros and Cons of Cancer Registration." Indeed, this may be quite amazing to those of my colleagues who have been endeavoring for years or decades to provide a world-wide system of cancer registration. To be quite frank, this is exactly what I intended. Generally speaking, as scientists we are convinced that the work we do is worth while. We are in fact supported in this attitude by pub lic opinion, if one bears in mind that science is future-oriented. It may be said that science is a way for building the future, and that progressive-mindedness is - to use a modern word - "in." Never theless, we may somehow hesitate at this fashionable word. After all, science is not "in" in the way this word is interpreted by the younger generation. Indeed, this younger generation is much too sceptical whenever confronted with anything done by the older generation - and science is pursued primarily by the "establishment." Rather, it is "in" to criticize the system of society and, if possible, to overcome this system, which is responsible not only for many evils, but also for many illnesses.

Inhalt
The Pros and Cons of Cancer Registration.- Unification of Hospital-Based Cancer Registries.- Planning and Evaluation of Oncologic Registries.- The Collection of Available Information: Possibilities and Limitations of International Standardization.- Problems in the Initiation of a Cancer Registry.- The Computerized Registry.- The Ninth Revision of ICD Chapter on Neoplasms and its Application in Oncology.- Histological Classification and its Implications in the Utility of Registry Data in Epidemiological Studies.- Uses of Cancer Registry Data for Planning and Administration of a Cancer Control Program.- The United States Network of Cancer Registries.- The Evaluation of Data Collection Procedures Assessment of Completeness.- Operation of Cancer Registries.- Administrative Use of the Cancer Registry in the German Democratic Republic.- Linkage of the Icelandic Cancer Registry to an Icelandic Population File.- Experiences of the Cancer Registry in Slovenia.- Cancer Registry Data Versus Mortality Statistics.- Hints on the Evaluation of a Regional Cancer Registry with no Legal Basis.- Cancer Registry South Württemberg-Hohenzollern. First Report.- Studies of Epidemiology.- Contributions of Cancer Registries to Epidemiological Research.- Pointers from Regional Variation in Incidence International Perspectives.- The Comparability of Cancer Incidence Rates.- The Use of Cancer Registry Data in the Investigation of Industrial Carcinogenic Hazards.- The Cancer Registry of Cali Colombia Epidemiologic Studies of Gastric Cancer.- The Persistence of Differences in Cancer Incidence at Various Anatomical Sites 1300 Years after Immigration.- Closing Remarks.- The Future of Cancer Registry.