PubMed ID: 21066931
Author(s): Klein BE, Lee KE, Moss SE, Trentham-Dietz A, Klein R. Self- and registry-reported cancer in a population-based longitudinal study. WMJ. 2010 Oct;109(5):261-6. PMID 21066931
Journal: Wmj : Official Publication Of The State Medical Society Of Wisconsin, Volume 109, Issue 5, Oct 2010
PURPOSE To evaluate the concordance of cancer diagnosis from self- and registry reports.
METHODS Self-reported diagnosis information from participants in a cohort study was compared with linkage data from the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System.
RESULTS Overall, there was good agreement between self- and registry-reported cancers, with 90% of all matches being considered an exact match. Concordance varied by cancer site; agreement was excellent for breast (85.4%) and prostate (78.9%) cancers.
CONCLUSIONS While self-reported cancer diagnoses for some cancers such as breast and prostate cancer are important sources of information and may be reliable substitutes when registry data are incomplete or not available, a combination of self and registry reports with mortality information may yield the most accurate information about cancer for purposes of health care planning and conducting epidemiologic studies.