Degree of coverage and data quality

Degree of coverage and completeness

All patients with cancer of the oesophagus (ICD-10, C15) and stomach (ICD-10 C16) in Norway must be included in the registry. It is mainly patients with adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas that are included in the registry.

The coverage rate for patients diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and stomach in 2012-2020 is estimated at 99 per cent. For oesophageal cancer, the coverage is 54 per cent (assessment report) and 81 per cent (surgery report), and for stomach cancer the coverage is 57 per cent (assessment report) and 75 per cent (surgery report).

Data quality

The data quality for the entire group of patients with cancer of the oesophagus and stomach is considered to be very good because the Cancer Registry of Norway makes a specific assessment of all pathology results from the laboratories. Information on incidence, survival and
The basis for diagnosis is considered almost complete.

Quality assurance of data is done as an integral part of the coding and registration process. In addition, the following examples help to ensure data quality in the Cancer Registry:

  • Several independent sources report information
  • The information is reported at several points in the course of the disease
  • The employees have unique expertise in coding cancer cases according to the Cancer Registry's own code book and international coding systems
  • IT systems have rules and barriers for illogical combinations, incorrect information and more
  • The Cancer Registry of Norway conducts analyses and control runs that reveal inconsistency in the data
  • Data extraction for researchers makes it possible to check a smaller data set of information that can reveal individual errors (e.g. incorrect entry of hospital codes) or systematic differences due to different interpretations of coding systems and rules
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