Data Collection

Each Idaho hospital, out-patient surgery center, and pathology laboratory is responsible for the complete ascertainment of all data on cancer diagnoses and treatments provided in its facility within six months of diagnosis. Sources for identifying eligible cases include:

• hospitals
• out-patient surgery centers
• private pathology laboratories
• free-standing radiation centers
• physicians for patients not receiving cancer diagnoses and/or treatment in the above sources
• death certificates
• other state cancer registries who have a reported Idaho resident diagnosed with cancer (as negotiated)

When a cancer case is reported from more than one source the information is consolidated into one record.

Reported cases contain the following data:

• patient demographics (including geographic place of residence at time of cancer diagnosis)
• description of cancer (including date of diagnosis, primary site, metastatic sites, histology, extent of disease, etc)
• first course treatment
• follow-up data for purposes of calculating survival rates

Primary site, behavior, grade, and histology are coded according to the “International Classification of Disease for Oncology, 2nd edition”.1 Stage of disease variables are coded using “SEER’s Summary Staging Guide” and “AJCC Manual for Staging of Cancer, 4th edition”.2-3 All other variables are coded following the rules of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the SEER program, and the American College of Surgeons.4-6