BACKGROUND: Studies often rely on death certificates to identify cancer occurrence. This research assessed the death certificate's ability to reflect cancer incidence and factors that influence agreement with cancer registry data. METHODS: This study compared death certificates to cancer incidence data for an occupational cohort of 1,795 deceased workers who were registered by the Iowa Cancer Registry (ICR) between 1973 and 2005. Logistic regression models examined the effects of factors such as survival time, age at diagnosis, and gender on the odds of agreement between death certificate and incidence data. RESULTS: Death certificates under-reported cancer incidence by 10-100%, depending on site. A 1-year increase in survival decreased the odds of agreement between death certificate and ICR data by 18%. Younger and female workers had increased odds of agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Death certificates can be useful predictors of cancer incidence, particularly for diseases with shorter survival and among subjects diagnosed earlier in life.
BACKGROUND: Studies often rely on death certificates to identify cancer occurrence. This research assessed the death certificate's ability to reflect cancer incidence and factors that influence agreement with cancer registry data. METHODS: This study compared death certificates to cancer incidence data for an occupational cohort of 1,795 deceased workers who were registered by the Iowa Cancer Registry (ICR) between 1973 and 2005. Logistic regression models examined the effects of factors such as survival time, age at diagnosis, and gender on the odds of agreement between death certificate and incidence data. RESULTS: Death certificates under-reported cancer incidence by 10-100%, depending on site. A 1-year increase in survival decreased the odds of agreement between death certificate and ICR data by 18%. Younger and female workers had increased odds of agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Death certificates can be useful predictors of cancer incidence, particularly for diseases with shorter survival and among subjects diagnosed earlier in life.
Authors: R W Field; B J Smith; C E Platz; R A Robinson; J S Neuberger; C P Brus; C F Lynch Journal: J Natl Cancer Inst Date: 2004-07-21 Impact factor: 13.506
Authors: Linda W Pickle; Yongping Hao; Ahmedin Jemal; Zhaohui Zou; Ram C Tiwari; Elizabeth Ward; Mark Hachey; Holly L Howe; Eric J Feuer Journal: CA Cancer J Clin Date: 2007 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 508.702
Authors: D Michal Freedman; Alice J Sigurdson; Michele M Doody; Sharifa Love-Schnur; Martha S Linet Journal: Int J Epidemiol Date: 2005-12-05 Impact factor: 7.196
Authors: Alice J Sigurdson; Michele Morin Doody; R Sowmya Rao; D Michal Freedman; Bruce H Alexander; Michael Hauptmann; Aparna K Mohan; Shinji Yoshinaga; Deirdre A Hill; Robert Tarone; Kiyohiko Mabuchi; Elaine Ron; Martha S Linet Journal: Cancer Date: 2003-06-15 Impact factor: 6.860