There are two major types of cancer registries: hospital-based registries and population-based registries. There are two sub-categories under hospital-based registries: single hospital registry and collective registry. Depending on the operators, population-based registries can be administrative, research, or cancer control oriented. Ideally, registries of a combination of above three functions predominate due to the mission of the primary funding source.

The goals of hospital-based registries include:

The goals of population-based registries are:

These two types of cancer registries will be discussed in detail in the following two sections.

There is another type of cancer registry: special cancer registry. These are cancer registries established to collect and maintain data on a particular type of cancer. For example, the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry (www.ovariancancer.com) is one of those special cancer registries that collect cancer information from those families with two or more relatives having ovarian cancer. Other special cancer registries exist that collect data on brain tumors, colorectal cancer, or lung cancer to name just a few. These special cancer registries often provide educational opportunities for those who want to learn more about a particular type of cancer, and support for those who may suffer from it.