ODS-C study guide
ODS-C · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Oncology Data Specialist (ODS)® credential is awarded by the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) Council on Certification. According to NCRA, it "demonstrates a requisite knowledge and professional competence needed within the cancer registry" and is "nationally recognized in the recruitment and retention of registry personnel." NCRA reports that over 9,000 cancer registry professionals have earned the credential since it was first offered in 1983, and that more than 6,000 active ODS-certified professionals practice worldwide today. The credential is aimed at cancer registrars who abstract and manage cancer patient data - capturing complete history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status - and who want validated competence, professional standing, and eligibility for roles at Commission on Cancer (CoC)-accredited facilities, where NCRA states an ODS-certified registrar must sit on the cancer committee (Standard 2.1) and case abstracting must be performed by an ODS-certified registrar (Standard 4.3). This independent page organizes study around four domains: registry operations and data collection; diagnosis, staging, and treatment; standards, compliance, and quality; and data analysis, research, and public health reporting. The ODS-C study guide has 4 sections and about 1,289 words.
01Cancer Registry Operations and Data Collection
This domain tests the front end of registry work: finding every reportable case, deciding whether it belongs in your database, and capturing clean data from the medical record. Reference date is the date your registry began case ascertainment.
339 words, about 2 min02Cancer Diagnosis, Staging, and Treatment
This domain tests how you translate pathology, imaging, and clinical notes into ICD-O-3 codes, a stage, and a first-course treatment summary. ICD-O-3 topography describes site; morphology describes histology and behavior.
319 words, about 2 min03Cancer Registry Standards, Compliance, and Quality
This domain tests whether your registry meets external and internal rules: CoC accreditation standards, state mandates, NAACCR and STORE conventions, and quality benchmarks. Standards hierarchy : state law and reporting requirements, CoC standards, NAACCR data standards, and facility policy.
310 words, about 2 min04Cancer Data Analysis, Research, and Public Health Reporting
This domain tests how registry data become valid information: rates, survival, comparisons, and responsible release for research and public health. Incidence is new cases in a period divided by the population at risk, usually per 100,000.
321 words, about 2 min