The Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability has today opened public consultation on proposals to establish a National Cancer Registry for the Cayman Islands, aimed at giving the country reliable national data to better understand, prevent and respond to cancer.
The consultation, which runs from 5 October to 15 November 2026, follows the publication of the National Cancer Registry Discussion White Paper, announced in Parliament by Minister for Health, Environment and Sustainability, Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, MP.
The White Paper sets out proposals for systematically collecting and analysing information about cancer in the Cayman Islands, including cancer incidence and prevalence, treatment patterns, survival and mortality.
The Cayman Islands does not currently have comprehensive population-based cancer data to guide prevention, early detection, treatment planning, and health-service delivery at a national level. Establishing a National Cancer Registry would provide a more reliable picture of the cancers affecting the population, who is being affected and how those patterns change over time.
According to 2025 figures from the Economics and Statistics Office cited by the Minister in Parliament, malignant neoplasms accounted for 20.7 per cent of deaths in the Cayman Islands, approximately one in five deaths, making cancer the second leading cause of death.
The consultation also opens during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when increased attention is focused on prevention, screening and early detection. While the proposed Registry would capture information across all cancer types, breast cancer provides a clear example of how reliable national data can help identify trends, inform screening and prevention efforts, and support planning for the services patients need.
Minister Ebanks-Wilks said reliable national data is fundamental to strengthening Cayman’s response to cancer.
“If our cancer rates are broadly consistent with regional averages, we should know that. If they are lower, we should know that too. And if Cayman has higher rates of particular cancers, we need to know that most of all.”
She added: “We cannot address what we do not fully understand. We need reliable national data to understand the burden of cancer in the Cayman Islands, to make informed decisions, to strengthen prevention and screening, and to plan effectively for the future.”
Turning information into action
A National Cancer Registry would allow cancer information to be examined at a population level over time. This could help identify changes in cancer incidence, patterns in the types of cancers being diagnosed and the stage at which cancers are detected. The information could then be used to inform prevention and screening programmes, health-service planning and decisions about resources.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hilary Wolf said a population-based registry would address an important gap in Cayman’s public-health information.
“Good cancer care does not begin and end with treating an individual diagnosis. At a national level, we also need to understand the patterns behind those diagnoses: which cancers are affecting our population, who is being affected, whether people are being diagnosed early or late, and how outcomes are changing over time.”
Dr. Wolf added: “A National Cancer Registry would give us a stronger evidence base for those decisions. It can help us identify where prevention and screening need to be strengthened, where further investigation may be needed and how we should plan services to meet the needs of our population.”
The Minister said the purpose is ultimately to turn that information into action.
“Behind every cancer statistic is a person, a family and a future. We owe it to them to understand the true burden of cancer in our country. Cancer does not wait for us to have better data; it is affecting our people today. It is time we counted it, understood it and used that knowledge to act.”
Protecting patient information
Privacy and confidentiality are central to the proposals set out in the White Paper.
Under the proposed framework, medical doctors and dentists would report specified patient and cancer information to the Cancer Registrar following the discovery of cancer. The Cancer Registrar would assign each patient a unique Cancer Registry identification number. The Registry itself would contain that unique identification number and cancer information rather than directly identifying information such as a person’s name, address or date of birth.
Personal and health information would be subject to confidentiality requirements, controlled access and the requirements of the Data Protection Act (2021 Revision). The proposals also provide protections against the disclosure of confidential or identifiable Registry information through Freedom of Information requests.
Minister Ebanks-Wilks said: “Privacy and confidentiality are not an afterthought. They are core requirements of the Registry and will be embedded in its design and operation.”
Public encouraged to have their say
The White Paper is a discussion document. The Ministry is encouraging cancer patients and survivors, families and caregivers, healthcare professionals, community organisations and members of the wider public to review the proposals and provide feedback.
Feedback received during the consultation will inform consideration of the proposals and the development of the next steps. The Ministry will also engage directly with healthcare providers, cancer organisations and other stakeholders during the consultation period.
Minister Ebanks-Wilks said:
“I encourage everyone to take the time to read the White Paper and give us their views. Cancer touches families across our Islands, and the development of a National Cancer Registry should be informed by the people it is ultimately intended to serve.”
The Minister has stated her intention to bring a National Cancer Registry Bill before Parliament in January.
The public consultation is open from today, 5 October, until 15 November 2026.
To read the National Cancer Registry Discussion White Paper and provide feedback, visit publicconsultations.gov.ky Feedback can be submitted by email to MOHFeedback@gov.ky.