Cancer registration was started in 1971 by the National Cancer Institute, with the collection of information on cancerpatients treated in 53 hospitals throughout the country. Data collection relied upon passive notification. This systemwas unsatisfactory; most community hospitals did not contribute, and notification from others was incomplete. The firstpopulation-based cancer registry started in 1986 in Chiang Mai, followed by Khon Kaen in 1988, Songkhla and Bangkokin 1990 and Lampang in 1993. With the cooperation of the registries, the National Cancer Institute in Bangkok, and theInternational Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the first volume of Cancer in Thailand was published in 1993. Thesecond volume, with data from 1992-1994 was published in 1999.
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