An Independent Survey to Assess Completeness of Registration: Population Based Cancer Registry, Chennai, India.

Cancer registration in the population based cancer registry (PBCR), Chennai, India, is carried out by active methods. It undertakes re-screening of cases in government hospitals and Cancer Institute (WIA), trace back death certificate notifications and collect information on all the deaths, irrespective of the stated cause on the death certificate, occurring in the registry area routinely to reduce the under-registration of incident cancer cases and associated mortality. The completeness of registration during 1982-95 was assessed by conducting an independent survey in randomly selected areas in Chennai. The total number of households covered in the survey was 7737 and were collected which constituted 1% of the Chennai city population. The response rate to the survey was 96%. A total of 42,502 incident cancer cases were registered in Chennai PBCR during 1982-95. The total number of cancer cases that were already registered in PBCR from the survey area during 1982-95 was 208. Out of 208 cases, 91 (44%) were identified in the survey; the families of the remaining 117 had migrated out of the surveyed area. Two new cancer cases hitherto unregistered in the PBCR during 1982-95 were identified from the survey. Based on the survey, it is estimated that the completeness of cancer registration in Chennai PBCR is 96%, which is comparable to those of other registries in the world.