Casefinding Flashcards

Which of the following is the BEST example of a proactive casefinding strategy?

Answer: Reviewing pathology reports daily as they are finalized

Daily review of finalized pathology reports is proactive because it identifies cases at the point of diagnosis without relying on passive referral systems.

A registrar finds a patient with a diagnosis of 'borderline ovarian tumor' on a surgical pathology report. How should this be handled for registry purposes?

Answer: Abstract as a malignant tumor using the appropriate behavior code

Borderline ovarian tumors are reportable and assigned a behavior code of /1 (uncertain behavior) or /3 depending on registry rules, but are generally abstracted.

Which electronic health record (EHR) tool is MOST effective for automated casefinding in a modern hospital registry?

Answer: ICD-coded discharge diagnosis queries combined with pathology report text mining

Combining ICD-coded diagnosis queries with pathology text mining provides the broadest and most accurate automated casefinding across multiple data sources.

A patient is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and receives surgery and radiation at your facility, then transfers to a hospice not affiliated with your hospital. What is the analytic class of this case?

Answer: Class 1 – Analytic, all first course treatment at your facility

If the cancer was diagnosed and first course treatment was initiated and substantially completed at your facility, it is Class 1 analytic regardless of hospice transfer.

What is the recommended frequency for reviewing pathology reports as part of a hospital cancer registry casefinding protocol?

Answer: Daily

Daily review of pathology reports is the standard recommended practice to ensure timely case identification and minimize backlog.

A registrar reviews a report describing 'melanoma in situ of the back, Clark Level I.' Is this case reportable?

Answer: Yes, melanoma in situ is reportable as a behavior code /2

Melanoma in situ is reportable and assigned behavior code /2; unlike non-melanoma skin cancers, all melanomas including in situ are included in cancer registry reporting.

During a casefinding audit, a registrar compares the registry's case count to the facility's ICD-coded discharge data and finds a 12% discrepancy. What is the MOST likely explanation?

Answer: Casefinding missed cases coded only as secondary diagnoses or seen in outpatient settings

Discrepancies often arise when casefinding focuses on inpatient primary diagnoses but misses outpatient encounters or secondary diagnosis codes that indicate a new cancer.