Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quality of cancer registry birthplace data for Hispanics living in the United States

  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Patient birthplace from the SEER population-based cancer registries is potentially useful for identifying disparities in cancer occurrence and for studying cancer etiology. However, for Hispanics, completeness and accuracy of registry birthplace is unknown. By comparing registry birthplace to self-reported birthplace from 13 interview studies, we determined the completeness and accuracy of this variable and the associations of these measures with patient and hospital characteristics in the Greater Bay Area. Registry birthplace was unrecorded for 46% of 1277 Hispanic cancer cases, and unrecorded birthplace (i.e., incompleteness) was associated with younger age, higher education, English language preference, US birthplace, and admission at certain hospitals. For 691 Hispanics with available registry birthplace, sensitivity and positive predictive value compared to self-report (i.e., accuracy) were 96.3 and 97.3 among foreign-born, and 96.8 and 95.6 among US-born. US-born Hispanics misclassified in the registry as foreign-born were more likely to have unavailable education information, be deceased, prefer a language besides English, and be diagnosed at a smaller hospital or before 1996. Among self-reported foreign-born Hispanics, those misclassified as US-born were less likely to have been diagnosed at an HMO. Although the completeness and accuracy of birthplace information may vary across registries, this variable appears to be limited for analyses involving Hispanics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

US:

United States

SEER:

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results

GBACR:

Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry

OR:

odds ratio

CI:

confidence interval

PV+:

predictive value positive

OSHPD:

Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development

HMO:

health maintenance organization

References

  1. LJ Herrinton JL Stanford SM Schwartz NS Weiss (1994) ArticleTitleOvarian cancer incidence among Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants J Natl Cancer Inst 86 IssueID17 1336–1339 Occurrence Handle8064892

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. JL Stanford LJ Herrinton SM Schwartz NS Weiss (1995) ArticleTitleBreast cancer incidence in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Epidemiology 6 IssueID2 181–183 Occurrence Handle7742407

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. MA Rossing SM Schwartz NS Weiss (1995) ArticleTitleThyroid cancer incidence in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Cancer Causes Control 6 IssueID5 439–444 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00052184 Occurrence Handle8547542

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. LJ Herrinton M Goldoft SM Schwartz NS Weiss (1996) ArticleTitleThe incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and its histologic subtypes in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Cancer Causes Control 7 IssueID2 224–230 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00051298 Occurrence Handle8740735

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. KA Rosenblatt NS Weiss SM Schwartz (1996) ArticleTitleLiver cancer in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Cancer Causes Control 7 345–350 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00052940 Occurrence Handle8734828

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. LS Cook M Goldoft SM Schwartz NS Weiss (1998) ArticleTitleIncidence of adenocarcinoma of the prostate in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants J Urol 161 152–155

    Google Scholar 

  7. A Kamineni MA Williams SM Schwartz LS Cook NS Weiss (1999) ArticleTitleThe incidence of gastric carcinoma in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Cancer Causes Control 10 IssueID1 77–83 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1008849014992 Occurrence Handle10334646

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. DM Flood NS Weiss LS Cook JC Emerson SM Schwartz JD Potter (2000) ArticleTitleColorectal cancer incidence in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Cancer Causes Control 11 IssueID5 403–411 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1008955722425 Occurrence Handle10877333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. CK Liao KA Rosenblatt SM Schwartz NS Weiss (2003) ArticleTitleEndometrial cancer in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants Cancer Causes Control 14 IssueID4 357–360 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1023925010837 Occurrence Handle12846367

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. AN Hedeen E White V Taylor (1999) ArticleTitleEthnicity and birthplace in relation to tumor size and stage in Asian American women with breast cancer Am J Public Health 89 IssueID8 1248–1252 Occurrence Handle10432917

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. AN Hedeen E. White (2001) ArticleTitleBreast cancer size and stage in Hispanic American women, by birthplace, 1992–1995 Am J Public Health 91 IssueID1 122–125 Occurrence Handle11189803

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. MD Pineda E White AR Kristal V. Taylor (2001) ArticleTitleAsian breast cancer survival in the US: a comparison between Asian immigrants, US-born Asian Americans and Caucasians Int J Epidemiol 30 976–982 Occurrence Handle10.1093/ije/30.5.976 Occurrence Handle11689507

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports. The Foreign-Born Population in the United States; March 2000.

  14. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports. Profile of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2000; December 2001.

  15. GK Singh M Siahpush (2002) ArticleTitleEthnic-immigrant differentials in health behaviors, morbidity, and cause-specific mortality in the United States: an analysis of two national data bases Hum Biol 74 IssueID1 83–109 Occurrence Handle11931581

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. GK Singh BA Miller (2004) ArticleTitleHealth, life expectancy, and mortality patterns among immigrant populations in the United States Can J Public Health 95 IssueID3 14–21

    Google Scholar 

  17. SS Lin CD O’Malley SW. Lui (2001) ArticleTitleFactors associated with missing birthplace information in a population-based cancer registry Ethnicity Disease 11 598–605 Occurrence Handle11763284

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. SL Gomez GM Le DW West WA Satariano L O’Connor (2003) ArticleTitleHospital policy and practice regarding the collection of data on race, ethnicity, and birthplace Am J Public Health 93 IssueID10 1685–1688 Occurrence Handle14534222

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. S Moscou MR Anderson JB Kaplan L Valencia (2003) ArticleTitleValidity of racial/ethnic classifications in medical records data: an exploratory study Am J Public Health 93 IssueID7 1084–1086 Occurrence Handle12835189

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. SL Gomez SL Glaser JL Kelsey MM Lee (2004) ArticleTitleBias in completeness of birthplace data for Asian groups in a population-based cancer registry (United States) Cancer Causes Control 15 IssueID3 243–253 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:CACO.0000024244.91775.64 Occurrence Handle15090719

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. PL Horn-Ross EM John M Lee et al. (2001) ArticleTitlePhytoestrogen consumption and breast cancer risk in a multiethnic population: the Bay Area Breast Cancer Study Am J Epidemiol 154 IssueID5 434–441 Occurrence Handle10.1093/aje/154.5.434 Occurrence Handle11532785

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. KC Swallen DW West SL Stewart SL Glaser PL Horn-Ross (1997) ArticleTitlePredictors of misclassification of Hispanic ethnicity in a population- based cancer registry Ann Epidemiol 7 IssueID3 200–206 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S1047-2797(96)00154-8 Occurrence Handle9141643

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. EA Holly C Lele PM Bracci (1998) ArticleTitleHair-color products and risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: a population-based study in the San Francisco bay area Am J Public Health 88 IssueID12 1767–1773 Occurrence Handle9842372

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. EM John JL Hopper CJ Beck et al. (2004) ArticleTitleThe Breast Cancer Family Registry: an infrastructure for cooperative multinational, interdisciplinary and translational studies of the genetic epidemiology of breast cancer Breast Cancer Res 6 R375–R389 Occurrence Handle10.1186/bcr801 Occurrence Handle15217505

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. MM Lee SS Lin MR Wrensch SR Adler D Eisenberg (2000) ArticleTitleAlternative therapies used by women with breast cancer in four ethnic populations J Natl Cancer Inst 92 IssueID1 42–47 Occurrence Handle10.1093/jnci/92.1.42 Occurrence Handle10620632

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. PL Horn-Ross JS Morris M Lee et al. (2001) ArticleTitleIodine and Thyroid Cancer Risk among Women in a Multiethnic Population: The Bay Area Thyroid Cancer Study Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 10 IssueID9 979–985 Occurrence Handle11535551

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. PL Horn-Ross KJ Hoggatt MM Lee (2002) ArticleTitlePhytoestrogens and thyroid cancer risk: the San Francisco Bay Area thyroid cancer study Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 11 IssueID1 43–49 Occurrence Handle11815400

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. K Kerlikowske A Molinaro I Cha et al. (2003) ArticleTitleCharacteristics associated with recurrence among women with ductal carcinoma in situ treated by lumpectomy J Natl Cancer Inst 95 IssueID22 1692–1702 Occurrence Handle14625260

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. PL Horn-Ross EM John AJ Canchola SL Stewart MM Lee (2003) ArticleTitlePhytoestrogen intake and endometrial cancer risk J Natl Cancer Inst 95 IssueID15 1158–1164 Occurrence Handle12902445

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. JR Bloom SL Stewart M Johnston P Banks (1998) ArticleTitleIntrusiveness of illness and quality of life in young women with breast cancer Psychooncology 7 IssueID2 89–100 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1099-1611(199803/04)7:2<89::AID-PON293>3.3.CO;2-5 Occurrence Handle9589507

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. SL Glaser CA Clarke RA Nugent CB Stearns RF Dorfman (2002) ArticleTitleSocial class and risk of Hodgkin’s disease in young-adult women in 1988-94 Int J Cancer 98 IssueID1 110–117 Occurrence Handle10.1002/ijc.10164 Occurrence Handle11857394

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. SL Glaser CA Clarke RA Nugent CB Stearns RF Dorfman (2003) ArticleTitleReproductive risk factors in Hodgkin’s disease in women Am J Epidemiol 158 553–563 Occurrence Handle10.1093/aje/kwg198 Occurrence Handle12965881

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. JR Bloom SL Stewart S Chang PJ Banks (2004) ArticleTitleThen and now: quality of life of young breast cancer survivors Psychooncology 13 IssueID3 147–160 Occurrence Handle15022150

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. M Wrensch M Lee R Miike et al. (1997) ArticleTitleFamilial and personal medical history of cancer and nervous system conditions among adults with glioma and controls Am J Epidemiol 145 IssueID7 581–593 Occurrence Handle9098174

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. KC Swallen SL Glaser SL Stewart DW West CN Jenkins SJ McPhee (1998) ArticleTitleAccuracy of racial classification of Vietnamese patients in a population-based cancer registry Ethn Dis 8 IssueID2 218–227 Occurrence Handle9681287

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) web site, http://www.oshpd.cahwnet.gov/. (accessed 2000) In.

  37. JL. Fleiss (1981) Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportion EditionNumber2 John Wiley & Sons New York

    Google Scholar 

  38. Statistical Analysis Software. (2002–2003) SAS version 9.1 for Windows. In. Cary, NC.

  39. LM Nelson WT Longstreth SuffixJr. TD Koepsell G Belle Particlevan (1990) ArticleTitleProxy respondents in epidemiologic research Epidemiol Rev 12 71–86 Occurrence Handle2286227

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. SL Gomez SL. Glaser (2004) ArticleTitleQuality of birthplace information obtained from death certificates for Hispanics, Asians, and Pacific Islanders Ethn Dis 14 IssueID2 292–295 Occurrence Handle15132217

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern California Cancer Center, 2201 Walnut Avenue, Suite 300, Fremont, CA, 94538, USA

    Scarlett L. Gomez & Sally L. Glaser

Authors
  1. Scarlett L. Gomez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sally L. Glaser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Scarlett L. Gomez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gomez, S.L., Glaser, S.L. Quality of cancer registry birthplace data for Hispanics living in the United States. Cancer Causes Control 16, 713–723 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-005-0694-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-005-0694-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation