The national cancer data base. A mechanism for assessment of patient care

BACKGROUND: A mechanism for cancer patient care assessment was created. Data evaluations will enable clinicians and hospital staffs to appraise trends and compare their results with state, regional, and national figures. METHODS: Data are collected annually on all forms of cancer from all parts of the country, including patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, first-course treatment, and follow-up. RESULTS: Data for one or more years were received from a total of 1071 hospitals. This large, convenience sample of United States cancers included approximately 220,000 cases from 1985, 272,000 cases from 1988, and 409,000 cases from 1990. The seven most commonly reported cancers were breast, lung, prostate, colon, cervix, bladder, and rectum. In a 1993 National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) Annual Review, several disease categories and special subjects were analyzed, including colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer, melanoma, cancer in children and adolescents, cancer in hispanics, time trends in TNM staging, as well as NCDB data quality and hospital participation. CONCLUSIONS: A multipurpose partnership between the NCDB and the Cancer Liaison Physician Network of the Commission on Cancer will be formed at the state and local level to promote NCDB participation as well as to disseminate the NCDB clinical findings. Additional sites will be covered in Annual Reviews, and highlights of those reports will be provided to Liaison Physicians of the Commission who are actively involved in the care of cancer patients to inform them of the latest findings.