About Utah Cancer Registry

Cancer was first designated as a reportable disease in Utah in 1948. However, systematic cancer surveillance was not conducted in the state until 1966.

That year, Charles Smart, MD, a surgeon at Latter Day Saints Hospital in Salt Lake City, founded the Utah Cancer Registry under the auspices of the Regional Medical Program. 

In 1973, the Utah Cancer Registry became one of the original members of the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. We have continuously participated in the SEER program since that time. Beginning in 2017, we are a participating registry in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Program of Cancer Registries.