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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Siaw Yein Ng, Dr Mary Robinson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Background: Accurate cause of death assignment is crucial for prostate cancer epidemiology and trials reporting prostate cancer-specific mortality outcomes.Methods: We compared death certificate information with independent cause of death evaluation by an expert committee within a prostate cancer trial (2002-2015).Results: Of 1236 deaths assessed, expert committee evaluation attributed 523 (42%) to prostate cancer, agreeing with death certificate cause of death in 1134 cases (92%, 95% CI: 90%, 93%). The sensitivity of death certificates in identifying prostate cancer deaths as classified by the committee was 91% (95% CI: 89%, 94%); specificity was 92% (95% CI: 90%, 94%). Sensitivity and specificity were lower where death occurred within 1 year of diagnosis, and where there was another primary cancer diagnosis.Conclusions: UK death certificates accurately identify cause of death in men with prostate cancer, supporting their use in routine statistics. Possible differential misattribution by trial arm supports independent evaluation in randomised trials.
Author(s): Turner EL, Metcalfe C, Donovan JL, Noble S, Sterne JAC, Lane JA, Walsh EI, Hill EM, Down L, Ben-Shlomo Y, Oliver SE, Evans S, Brindle P, Williams NJ, Hughes LJ, Davies CF, Ng SY, Neal DE, Hamdy FC, Albertsen P, Reid CM, Oxley J, McFarlane J, Robinson MC, Adolfsson J, Zietman A, Baum M, Koupparis A, Martin RM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: British Journal of Cancer
Year: 2016
Volume: 115
Issue: 1
Pages: 90-94
Print publication date: 28/06/2016
Online publication date: 02/06/2016
Acceptance date: 30/04/2016
Date deposited: 18/08/2016
ISSN (print): 0007-0920
ISSN (electronic): 1532-1827
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2016.162
DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2016.162
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