Analysis of the Incompleteness of Hospital-based registries of Cervical Cancer in Espírito Santo, Brazil (2000–2020)
Sara Isabel Pimentel de Carvalho Schuab, Wesley Rocha Grippa, Rapahel Manhães Pessanha, Larissa Soares Dell’Antônio, Cristiano Soares Dell’Antonio, Márcia Valéria de Souza Almeida, Luís Carlos Lopes-Júnior
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the incompleteness of epidemiological variables of RHCs related to cases of cervical neoplasia in the Oncology Care Network of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Method: A retrospective time-series study was conducted using secondary data from Tumor Registration Forms of all hospitals belonging to the state Oncology Care Network, covering the period from 2000 to 2020. Incompleteness was calculated as the proportion of unfilled or “unknown” fields and categorized according to the criteria proposed by Romero and Cunha. Temporal trends were assessed using the Mann–Kendall test, and differences in incompleteness scores over the years were evaluated using the Friedman test (α = 5%).
Results: A total of 10,140 cervical cancer cases were analyzed. Most variables showed completeness classified as excellent throughout the historical series. However, clinically relevant variables—such as TNM staging (clinical and pathological), disease status at the end of the first hospital treatment, family history of cancer, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption—presented high and persistent levels of incompleteness. A statistically significant increasing trend in incompleteness was observed for alcohol consumption, smoking status, and disease status at the end of treatment (p < 0.01). In contrast, variables related to initial clinical assessment, initiation of treatment, diagnostic tests, and care-related dates showed a significant improvement in completeness over time (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Despite the overall satisfactory completeness of RHC data, important weaknesses remain in key clinical variables essential for prognostic assessment, therapeutic decision-making, and cancer surveillance. These findings highlight the need for continuous investments in professional training, standardization of registration procedures, systematic data auditing, and integration of information systems to improve the quality and usability of hospital-based cancer data.
Keywords: Cervical Cancer, Oncology, Epidemiology, Hospital Cancer Registry, Cancer Surveillance and Control.
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