The use of register data in occupational cancer control

During the twentieth century, register data have become increasingly important for the identification and quantification of occupational cancer risks and thereby for occupational cancer control. Registers can provide rapid access to information on occupation, exposure, death, disease, and a number of potential confounders, for cohorts, cases, and reference groups. High-quality registers secure completeness, representativeness, and independence of data, which may help to reduce bias in risk estimates. Examples from the Nordic countries include population and disease registers of high quality, available for statistical purposes, which can be used in record linkage studies. Register data need to be combined with improved information on exposures and with additional data from biological specimens for further identification of health hazards, improvement of health care and cancer control, and, as a consequence, for protection of individual health.