Follow-Up & Survival Analysis Flashcards

In cause-specific survival analysis, which patients are censored?

Answer: Patients who die from causes other than the cancer under study

In cause-specific survival, deaths from causes other than the cancer of interest are treated as censored observations.

The expected survival rate used in relative survival calculations is derived from which source?

Answer: U.S. life tables matched by age, sex, and race

Relative survival uses U.S. life tables (typically Ederer II or Hakulinen method) matched by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Which AJCC staging element most directly influences 5-year survival rates reported by cancer registries?

Answer: Stage at diagnosis

Stage at diagnosis is the single most powerful predictor of 5-year survival rates and is the primary stratifier in registry survival reports.

A registry is calculating the follow-up rate for their database. Which formula is correct?

Answer: (Patients with known vital status / Total patients eligible for follow-up) × 100

The follow-up rate is the percentage of eligible patients whose vital status is known, whether alive or deceased.

What minimum follow-up rate does NPCR recommend for reporting survival statistics?

Answer: 90%

NPCR and SEER recommend a minimum 90% follow-up rate to ensure survival statistics are reliable and representative.

Period analysis in survival statistics differs from cohort analysis primarily because it:

Answer: Provides more current survival estimates by focusing on recent follow-up intervals

Period analysis uses the most recent follow-up intervals rather than full cohort history, providing more up-to-date survival estimates.

Which data item should the tumor registrar record as the starting point for calculating survival time?

Answer: Date of diagnosis

Per SEER and NAACCR standards, survival time is calculated from the date of diagnosis (incidence date) to the event or censoring date.