This information is useful in doing cancer research and developing policies on cancer care. Some people would also like to use registry information to judge the quality of treatment for cancer. However, little is known about the accuracy and completeness of tumor registries. The researchers wanted to determine whether the information in tumor registries provides an accurate picture of the cancer treatment. At three New York City area hospitals, all 356 women with newly diagnosed stage I or II breast cancer who underwent surgery for the cancer from November 1994 through August 1996.
Cancer stage is a measure of how far the disease has progressed.
The researchers compared the information for these women found in the tumor registry with the information collected from a detailed review of all of their medical records. The tumor registries contained accurate information about the stage of the cancer and type of surgery. However, information about treatment with radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy was often missing from the registries. This suggests that tumor registries underestimate the proportion of women who received appropriate radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy. This study involved only breast cancer in only three tumor registries and might not apply to registries at other hospitals.