ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors provide a discussion on cancer treatment surveillance by linking the Nebraska Cancer Registry (NCR) with Nebraska hospital discharge data (HDD). The intent was to develop a protocol for linking cancer registry data and HDD and assess its feasibility and utility. In Nebraska, more than 90% of radiation therapy is hospital based, and an overwhelming majority of chemotherapy is administered in outpatient settings. Similar to linked SEER–Medicare data, linked NCR–Nebraska HDD data will result in a population-based data source that will include both Medicare and non-Medicare patients. In addition, the linked dataset will be able to provide information on non-cancer-related diagnoses, treatments, and costs of care, and can therefore be used for treatment surveillance, clinical epidemiology, and health services research. The authors use the Charlson Comorbidity Index to demonstrate the potential application of this linked dataset.
