Tracking Mortality in Childhood Cancer Survivors
Author Information
Author(s): Cecilia A Cotton, Susan Peterson, Patricia A Norkool, Norman E Breslow
Primary Institution: University of Washington
Hypothesis
Can record linkage through the National Death Index (NDI) effectively substitute for missing follow-up data in childhood cancer survivors?
Conclusion
The study concludes that the NDI cannot reliably fill in missing follow-up data for actively followed populations, leading to inflated survival estimates.
Supporting Evidence
- The NDI matched 709 of the 789 known decedents, showing a sensitivity of 89.9%.
- No matches were found among 1,052 subjects known to be alive, indicating a specificity of 100%.
- Factors like lack of SSN and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with lower match rates.
Takeaway
This study looked at how well researchers can find out if childhood cancer survivors are still alive using a national death database, and it found that this method doesn't work well for kids.
Methodology
The study compared mortality ascertainment via active follow-up and record linkage to the NDI for a cohort of childhood cancer survivors.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to factors like ethnicity and social security number availability affecting match rates.
Limitations
The study may not generalize to populations with different follow-up practices or demographics.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily children with renal neoplasms, with a significant proportion being non-Hispanic Caucasian.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
(75.4, 79.9)
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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