Data Quality Assurance & Cancer Program Standards Flashcards

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a 'casefinding audit' in a hospital cancer registry?

Answer: To confirm all reportable cancer cases are being identified and entered

A casefinding audit verifies that the registry's case identification process captures all reportable malignancies seen at the facility.

When auditing the 'diagnostic confirmation' data field, which code is assigned to a case confirmed by cytology only, without histologic tissue?

Answer: Code 4

NAACCR/SEER code 4 is used when diagnostic confirmation is by cytology only, without a histologic (biopsy) confirmation.

A program receives its NCDB benchmark report showing that its lymph node examination rate for colon cancer is significantly below the national rate. The BEST next step is to:

Answer: Present findings to the Cancer Committee and initiate a clinical study

Benchmark discrepancies should be presented to the Cancer Committee, which may initiate a clinical study to investigate and improve clinical practice.

Which NAACCR data item captures the extent of disease at the time of initial diagnosis and is required for central registry submissions?

Answer: Summary Stage

NAACCR Summary Stage (derived from SEER Summary Staging) is a required data item for central registry submissions representing extent of disease at diagnosis.

The 'Class of Case' field in a cancer registry distinguishes between:

Answer: Analytic and non-analytic cases

Class of Case separates analytic cases (diagnosed and/or treated at the facility) from non-analytic cases (treated elsewhere, diagnosis only confirmed here).

A hospital registry's re-abstraction audit reveals that treatment data accuracy for radiation therapy is only 78%. Which action would MOST directly address this deficiency?

Answer: Conduct targeted training on radiation therapy documentation sources

Targeted training on the relevant documentation sources (radiation oncology records, treatment summaries) directly addresses abstractor knowledge gaps in that specific data element.

Under STORE (Standards for Oncology Registry Entry), what is the rule for coding a synchronous primary when both tumors arise in paired organs?

Answer: Each tumor is reported as a separate primary with its own accession number

STORE rules require that synchronous primaries in paired organs be reported as separate primaries, each with its own accession number.