CTR Follow-Up & Survival Analysis 2

Question 1

Which survival analysis method accounts for patients who are lost to follow-up or have not yet experienced the event of interest?

Accepted Answer

Kaplan-Meier method

Answer

The Kaplan-Meier method uses censoring to account for patients lost to follow-up or still alive at the end of the study period.

Question 2

In the SEER program, what is the standard follow-up interval used to calculate 5-year relative survival rates?

Accepted Answer

5 years

Answer

SEER reports 5-year relative survival rates as the standard benchmark for comparing cancer survival across populations.

Question 3

A patient is recorded as 'vital status unknown' during follow-up. How should this be handled in survival analysis?

Accepted Answer

Censor at last known contact date

Answer

Patients with unknown vital status are censored at the date of last known contact to preserve data integrity.

Question 4

What does a relative survival ratio greater than 1.0 indicate?

Accepted Answer

Cancer patients are surviving longer than the general population

Answer

A relative survival ratio >1.0 suggests cancer patients are surviving longer than comparable individuals in the general population.

Question 5

Which follow-up method involves contacting the patient's physician to determine current vital status?

Accepted Answer

Active follow-up

Answer

Active follow-up involves direct contact with physicians, patients, or family members to obtain current vital status.

(CTR) Certified Tumor Registrar Practice Test