Casefinding Flashcards

Which department is considered a SECONDARY source for casefinding in a hospital-based cancer registry?

Answer: Emergency Department

Emergency departments are secondary sources because cancer diagnoses are rarely made there; pathology, radiology, and surgery are primary sources.

A tumor registrar reviews the operating room log and finds a procedure coded as 'excision of lesion, breast.' What is the next casefinding step?

Answer: Request the pathology report to confirm malignancy

The pathology report must be reviewed to confirm whether the lesion is malignant before abstracting a case.

Which of the following would NOT be reportable to a hospital cancer registry under standard ACOS CoC guidelines?

Answer: Basal cell carcinoma of the skin diagnosed at the facility

Basal cell carcinoma of the skin is generally excluded from cancer registry reporting under ACOS CoC guidelines.

A patient is diagnosed with lung cancer at an outside facility and comes to your hospital only for a second opinion with no treatment rendered. How should this case be handled?

Answer: Abstract as a non-analytic case

A case diagnosed elsewhere where only a second opinion (consultation) is provided without treatment is abstracted as a non-analytic case.

When performing casefinding, a registrar discovers a death certificate listing 'carcinoma of the pancreas' with no prior hospital record. What action is required?

Answer: Create a death certificate only (DCO) case

A death certificate only (DCO) case is created when the death certificate is the sole source of cancer information and no prior medical records can be obtained.

Which type of ambulatory surgery center report is MOST useful for casefinding?

Answer: Procedure logs with pathology results

Procedure logs paired with pathology results identify surgical cases with confirmed malignancy, making them the most productive casefinding source in ambulatory settings.

A registrar finds a patient treated for 'malignant neoplasm, colon' in the pharmacy system with chemotherapy drugs dispensed. No existing registry record exists. What should the registrar do?

Answer: Investigate further using medical records to confirm and abstract

Pharmacy records are useful leads for casefinding but the complete medical record must be reviewed to confirm diagnosis and abstract accurately.