Histological Confirmation of Breast Cancer Registration and Self-reporting in England and Wales: a Cohort Study Within the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening

Overview

Journal Br J Cancer

Specialty Oncology

Date 2012 May 19

PMID 22596242

Citations 3

Authors

E O Fourkala

A Gentry-Maharaj

M Burnell

A Ryan

R Manchanda

A Dawnay

I Jacobs

M Widschwendter

U Menon

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: In research studies, accurate information of cancer diagnosis is crucial. In women with breast cancer (BC), we compare cancer registration (CR) in England/Wales and self-reporting with independent confirmation.

Methods: In the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening, notification of BC diagnosed between randomisation and 31 December 2009 was obtained through (1) CR (17 October 2011) and (2) self-reporting using postal-questionnaire. Breast cancer was confirmed using a detailed questionnaire (BC questionnaire BCQ) completed by the treating clinician (gold standard). Apparent sensitivity and positive-predictive value of CR/self-reporting vs BCQ were calculated.

Results: Of 1065 women with possible BC notification, diagnosis was confirmed in 932 (87.5%). A total of 3.1% (28 out of 918) of BC CR and 12.4% (128 out of 1032) of women with self-reported BC only had in-situ carcinoma on BCQ. Another 4.6% (43 out of 932) of BCQ-confirmed cancer did not have a BC registration, and 3.6% (34 out of 932) did not self-report BC. Apparent sensitivity of CR and self-reporting vs BCQ were 95.4 and 96.4%, respectively. Positive-predictive value of self-reporting (87.1%) was significantly lower than that of CR (96.8%). Women aged<65 were more likely to over report in-situ carcinoma as BC. Overall, 73 (6.8%) women would have been misclassified/missed if CR, and 167 (15.6%) if self-reporting data alone was used.

Conclusion: This study confirms the reliability of BC registration in England/Wales and highlights the fact that 1 in 10 women self-reporting BC might only have in-situ breast carcinoma.

Citing Articles

Association of skirt size and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in older women: a cohort study within the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS).

Fourkala E, Burnell M, Cox C, Ryan A, Salter L, Gentry-Maharaj A BMJ Open. 2014; 4(9):e005400.

PMID: 25252818 PMC: 4185339. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005400.

Concordance of National Cancer Registration with self-reported breast, bowel and lung cancer in England and Wales: a prospective cohort study within the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening.

Gentry-Maharaj A, Fourkala E, Burnell M, Ryan A, Apostolidou S, Habib M Br J Cancer. 2013; 109(11):2875-9.

PMID: 24129231 PMC: 3844906. DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2013.626.

Early detection of cancer in the general population: a blinded case-control study of p53 autoantibodies in colorectal cancer.

Pedersen J, Gentry-Maharaj A, Fourkala E, Dawnay A, Burnell M, Zaikin A Br J Cancer. 2012; 108(1):107-14.

PMID: 23169294 PMC: 3553520. DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2012.517.

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