The legal recognition of autopsy as a tool of quality assurance will strengthen its importance especially in the care of cancer patients. However, this confidence is relativized by the consideration of the assessment of the autopsy in various effective nonlegislative regulations. This consideration shows that in contrast to earlier years autopsy does not play a major role in the most important programs for the certification of cancer centers or for clinical cancer registration. If clinical autopsy is to play a more important role in the future, then in addition to improving and standardizing its quality the implementation into these systems of quality management is indispensable.
Keywords: Cancer center; Cancer registry; Certification; Quality management; Tumor characteristics.