Evaluation of Tumor Registry Validity in Samsung Medical Center Radiation Oncology Department

Park, Won; Huh, Seung Jae; Kim, Dae Yong; Shin, Seong Soo; Ahn, Yong Chan; Lim, Do Hoon; Kim, Seonwoo

Abstract

PURPOSE: A tumor registry system for the patients treated by radiotherapy at Samsung Medical Center since the opening of a hospital at 1994 was employed. In this study, the tumor registry system was introduced and the validity of the tumor registration was analyzed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The tumor registry system was composed of three parts: patient demographic, diagnostic, and treatment information. All data were input in a screen using a mouse only. Among the 10,000 registered cases in the tumor registry system until Aug, 2002, 199 were randomly selected and their registration data were compared with the patients' medical records.
RESULTS
Total input errors were detected in 15 cases (7.5%). There were 8 error items in the part relating to diagnostic information: tumor site 3, pathology 2, AJCC staging 2 and performance status 1. In the part relating to treatment information there were 9 mistaken items: combination treatment 4, the date of initial treatment 3 and radiation completeness 2. According to the assignment doctor, the error ratio was consequently variable. The doctors who did no double-checks showed higher errors than those that did (15.6% : 3.7%).
CONCLUSIONS
Our tumor registry had errors within 2% for each item. Although the overall data quality was high, further improvement might be achieved through promoting sincerity, continuing training, periodic validity tests and keeping double-checks. Also, some items associated with the hospital information system will be input automatically in the next step.