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ThesisFinalARG.pdf (3.85 MB)

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Characteristics of Death Certificate Only Cases in the Cancer Registry

Garrett, Amy
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1405704511

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Public Health.
Background: One of the central purposes of population-based cancer registries is to identify patterns of cancer incidence and mortality that may be amenable to intervention. To do so it is essential, at a minimum, to have information on tumor grade and stage at diagnosis. Cases identified by a death certificate only, rather than through medical records, do not provide this information thereby limiting the efficacy of the registry. Objective: To identify demographic differences between cancer patients whose death certificates are the only source of information available to a cancer registry and those for whom medical records are also accessible. Sample: There were 330,961 records containing reports of tumors that were diagnosed between January 1st 2007 and December 31st 2011 reported to the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System and ~5% were reported through a death certificate only. Methods: We stratified records by cancer site and used logistic regression models to identify demographic differences by death certificate only status. Bernoulli models were used to identify spatial clusters of death certificate only cases compared to medical record cases. Results: Death certificate only cases were associated with older age at diagnosis (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.40, 1.43), male sex (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.47, 1.60), African-American race (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.38), and rural county residence (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.77). We identified significant geographic clusters of death certificate cases; these clusters indicate death certificate only cases have different physical locations than medical record cases. Conclusion: Differential characteristics of death certificate only cases can be used to design programs to reduce the number of these incomplete cancers registrations, thus increasing the utility of data collected by state tumor registries and resulting estimates of the distribution of cancer.
Judith Schwartzbaum (Advisor)
37 p.
Epidemiology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Garrett, A. (2014). Characteristics of Death Certificate Only Cases in the Cancer Registry [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1405704511

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Garrett, Amy. Characteristics of Death Certificate Only Cases in the Cancer Registry. 2014. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1405704511.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Garrett, Amy. "Characteristics of Death Certificate Only Cases in the Cancer Registry." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1405704511

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.