Follow-Up & Survival Analysis Flashcards

A registry wants to assess whether survival has improved over three decades. Which analytical approach would be most appropriate?

Answer: Trend analysis of age-adjusted 5-year relative survival rates by diagnosis year cohort

Trend analysis of age-adjusted relative survival rates across diagnosis year cohorts controls for age shifts and allows fair comparison of survival over time.

What is the 'date of last contact' used for in a cancer registry?

Answer: To serve as the censoring date for patients who are alive or lost to follow-up

Date of last contact is used as the censoring date when calculating survival time for patients who are still alive or whose outcome is unknown.

The National Death Index (NDI) is used by cancer registries primarily to:

Answer: Match registry cases against national death records to update vital status

The NDI, maintained by NCHS, allows registries to link their cases against nationwide death records for passive vital status ascertainment.

Which factor most commonly introduces bias into registry-based survival estimates?

Answer: Lead-time bias from screening-detected cancers

Lead-time bias occurs when screening advances the diagnosis date without extending life, artificially inflating apparent survival time.

In a Cox proportional hazards model applied to registry survival data, what does a hazard ratio of 2.0 for stage IV versus stage I indicate?

Answer: Stage IV patients have twice the instantaneous risk of death compared to stage I patients

A hazard ratio of 2.0 means stage IV patients experience the event (death) at twice the rate of stage I patients at any given time point.

Which scenario represents an appropriate use of conditional survival statistics in a cancer registry report?

Answer: Reporting 5-year survival probability among patients who have already survived 3 years post-diagnosis

Conditional survival estimates the probability of surviving an additional period given that the patient has already survived a specified time, providing more clinically relevant prognostic information.

Under STORE (Standards for Oncology Registry Entry) guidelines, how often should follow-up contact attempts be made for living patients?

Answer: Annually

STORE guidelines recommend annual follow-up contact attempts for all living registry patients to maintain current vital status.