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Background: Cancer is a major public health problem in Myanmar, and cancer registration activities are currently underway through both hospital-based and population-based approaches. So far, there are no population-based cancer incidence and mortality estimates in the country. Methods: According to the 2014 census, the total population of Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory was 1,160,242 within the area of 70,571 km 2 . Nay Pyi Taw Cancer Registry team collected data of new cancer cases both actively and passively from all data sources in the region. The data were registered, updated, cross-checked, quality-assured, and analyzed in CanReg5. The results were presented as the number of cases by site, sex, and age, cumulative risk (CR), crude rate, age-specific, and age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) per 100,000. Results: Total 5,952 new cancer cases and 1874 cancer deaths were recorded among the population of the Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory between 2013 and 2017. The age-standardized incidence rate for all cancer sites excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers in males was 125.9 and 107.3 for females. For both sexes combined, the most common cancers were lung (14%), breast (11.4%), liver (10.2%), mouth and pharynx (8.5%), and stomach cancers (7.8%). In males, the most common were lung (18.1%), liver (14.8%), mouth and pharynx (13%), stomach (8.9%) and colon, rectum, and anus (7.4%) cancers. In females, these were breast (21.2%), cervix (13.0%), lung (10.3%), stomach (6.9%) and colon, rectum, and anus (6.3%) cancers. The most common cancer deaths were caused by liver (20.8%), lung (15.7%), mouth and pharynx (9.3%), stomach (7.5%), and Colon, rectum, and anus (6.8%) cancers. Conclusion: The findings in this study are salient and have potential to serve as important information for the National Cancer Control Program to formulate prevention and control strategies.

PURPOSE The objectives of this implementation research were to implement an innovative approach by basic health staff (BHS) using a cancer registry mobile application for continuous data reporting and to evaluate the process of establishing a community-based cancer registry. METHODS Eighty BHS in Kawa township, Bago region, were trained on the mobile application based on locally adapted CanReg5 software, common cancers and symptoms, and plans for implementation and monitoring. Required information of confirmed cancer cases was collected by the focal persons among local BHS using the application installed on their mobile devices and reported online to a database accessed by researchers. Two focus group discussions with BHS were conducted to identify challenges encountered during implementation and their suggested practical solutions. RESULTS A total of 74 confirmed cancer cases were registered during the 6-month implementation period. The most common cancers registered were breast cancer (20 cases), followed by GI cancers (18 cases) and lung cancers (9 cases). This finding was consistent with common cancers from regional hospital reports. Some data incompleteness was observed in topography, staging, and treatment information. In qualitative discussions, BHS reported technical difficulties in becoming familiar with morphologic codes, in saving registered cases in their phones, and in reading biopsy results and clinical notes. BHS approached family members mostly to obtain the hospital/laboratory records of patients with confirmed cases and some faced reluctance as family members did not want to inform the patients about their diagnosis. BHS could not register some cases when documents were not present, although they definitely knew the cases, including expired cases. The patient and/or caregiver expected financial or other support when they were registered. Once cancer is highly suspected or diagnosed, patients stop seeking proper care and turn to traditional healers. This is a result of the lack of knowledge about cancer. The cost of cancer health care is also a factor that influences whether treatment is sought. CONCLUSION A community-based cancer registry by BHS is feasible to a certain extent with some improvements. More community participation and proper referral to facilitate care are needed, as well as addressing technical difficulties.