TY - JOUR

T1 - The Validity of a New Procedure-Based Definition of Cancer Status in Patients with Breast-, Lung-and Colorectal Cancer in the Danish National Patient Registry

AU - Nielsen, Sebastian Kinnberg

AU - Nouhravesh, Nina

AU - Jensen, Mads Hashiba

AU - Jensen, Rawia Farah Gedde

AU - Klein, Mads Falk

AU - Saghir, Zaigham

AU - Nielsen, Dorte

AU - Schou, Morten

AU - Lamberts, Morten

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Nielsen et al.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Background/Aim: The Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) provides unique epidemiological insight, but often lacks granular data. We propose a procedure-based definition of cancer status in patients with breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer, which can be applied to administrative health databases. New definitions of cancer status are needed as mortality and morbidity are closely linked to cancer status, yet most studies only use duration since cancer diagnosis as a severity marker. The aim of the study was to validate a new pragmatic definition. Methods: Medical journals of 600 patients, with breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer from the Department of Oncology at Herlev-Gentofte Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. We defined active cancer as a cancer diagnosis, not followed by a potentially curative procedure within 6 months of the diagnosis. The remaining patients were characterized as having non-active cancer. This dichot-omization was then compared to a cancer status assessment based on treatment received and paraclinical test such as their first post-procedural control scan. Based on this comparison, we calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) of our definitions of active and non-active cancer. Results: The calculated PPVs for active breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer were 87% (CI 95%: 0.74–0.99), 91% (CI 95%: 0.87– 0.96) and 82% (CI 95%: 0.73–0.91). The PPVs for non-active breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer were 95% (CI 95%: 0.92–0.99), 91% (CI 95%: 0.82–0.99) and 73% (CI 95%: 0.66–0.81), respectively. Conclusion: We found an overall high PPV for both active and non-active cancer across all three types of cancer.

AB - Background/Aim: The Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) provides unique epidemiological insight, but often lacks granular data. We propose a procedure-based definition of cancer status in patients with breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer, which can be applied to administrative health databases. New definitions of cancer status are needed as mortality and morbidity are closely linked to cancer status, yet most studies only use duration since cancer diagnosis as a severity marker. The aim of the study was to validate a new pragmatic definition. Methods: Medical journals of 600 patients, with breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer from the Department of Oncology at Herlev-Gentofte Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. We defined active cancer as a cancer diagnosis, not followed by a potentially curative procedure within 6 months of the diagnosis. The remaining patients were characterized as having non-active cancer. This dichot-omization was then compared to a cancer status assessment based on treatment received and paraclinical test such as their first post-procedural control scan. Based on this comparison, we calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) of our definitions of active and non-active cancer. Results: The calculated PPVs for active breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer were 87% (CI 95%: 0.74–0.99), 91% (CI 95%: 0.87– 0.96) and 82% (CI 95%: 0.73–0.91). The PPVs for non-active breast-, lung-and colorectal cancer were 95% (CI 95%: 0.92–0.99), 91% (CI 95%: 0.82–0.99) and 73% (CI 95%: 0.66–0.81), respectively. Conclusion: We found an overall high PPV for both active and non-active cancer across all three types of cancer.

KW - active cancer

KW - DNPR

KW - epidemiology

KW - non-active cancer

KW - validation

U2 - 10.2147/CLEP.S401554

DO - 10.2147/CLEP.S401554

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37128596

AN - SCOPUS:85159180452

VL - 15

SP - 483

EP - 491

JO - Clinical Epidemiology

JF - Clinical Epidemiology

SN - 1179-1349

ER -