Abstract
Incompleteness of ascertainment of new cases of any disease leads to underestimation of its incidence rate and may result in false assumptions about incidence trends if incompleteness varies over the course of time (Fraser et al., 1978). We report an attempt to assess the completeness of ascertainment in a cancer registry in the North-Western Region of England using a method based on independent comparison with accurate morbidity data. A total of 1955 verified cases of cancer from 5 independent sources covering 11 sites were used in the study. The corrected mean level of overall registration completeness was found to be 94% but this varied appreciably with site and source of data. Independent comparison is recommended as an effective method for estimating the completeness of cancer registration.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nwene, U., Smith, A. Assessing completeness of cancer registration in the north-western region of England by a method of independent comparison. Br J Cancer 46, 635–639 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1982.248
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1982.248
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Concordance on the Recording of Cancer in the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency Registry, Hospital Charts and Death Registrations
Canadian Journal of Public Health (2000)
-
A comparison of national cancer registry and direct follow-up in the ascertainment of ovarian cancer
British Journal of Cancer (1999)