Population-based cancer registries collect a standardized dataset about all patients diagnosed with a malignancy who live in the defined territory covered by the registry, from initial diagnosis through investigation and treatment, to the eventual death of the patient. This enables estimation of the cancer burden and surveillance of trends over time, as the evidence base for cancer control policies. There are more than 300 population-based cancer registries around the world, covering about 5% of the world's population, but the proportion is much higher in developed countries than in developing countries. Adherence to international standards of data collection and quality control is extremely important, because it enables robust comparisons of incidence, prevalence and survival, both between the regions of the country and internationally. These comparisons inspire changes in cancer prevention, and clinical practice, and progress in the organisation and delivery of policies for cancer control. The examples of such comparisons are international projects Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, Globocan and the CONCORD programme for the global surveillance of cancer survival. In this article, we describe the organisation and experience of practical application of data from the Arkhangelsk regional cancer registry, both within Russia and in international collaborations.