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Cancer data from population-based cancer registries under-report cancer cases, especially for cancers primarily diagnosed and treated in outpatient clinical settings, away from hospital-based cancer registrars. Previously, we developed alternative methods of cancer case capture including a claims-based method, which identified a large proportion of cancer cases missed by traditional population-based cancer registries. In this study, we adapted a claims-based method for statewide implementation of cancer surveillance in Florida. Between 2010 and 2017 the claims-based method identified 143,083 cancer abstracts, of which 42% were new and 58% were previously registered. The claims-based method led to the creation of 53,419 new cancer cases in the state cancer registry, which made up 9.3% of all cancer cases registered between 2010 and 2017. The types of cancers identified by the claims-based method were typical of the kinds primarily diagnosed and treated in outpatient oncology clinic settings, such as hematological malignancies, prostate cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, and bladder cancer. These cases were added to the Florida cancer registry and may produce an artefactual increase in cancer incidence, which is believed to be closer to the actual burden of cancer in the state.

Background: Cancer treatment information is often underreported in cancer registries due to the shift in cancer care to ambulatory settings. Incomplete treatment information for central registries limits the usefulness of these data for understanding disparities in outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the added value and validity of medical billing data to supplement treatment for incident cases within a central cancer registry., Methods: Billing data using standardized structure and nomenclature as submitted by all practices was evaluated using an automated software (MDoffice, MDO) process that captures and processes these data and submits the information in a standardized format. A validation of the billing reported treatment was performed using data from 3 community oncology practices., Results: The accuracy of treatment data captured was 100 percent for both chemotherapy and radiation therapy among the 313 cases validated. Chemotherapy (36 percent and 5 percent respectively for solid tumors and hematologic cancers) and radiation therapy (46 percent and 20 percent respectively for solid tumors and hematologic cancers) information was added to 738 known incident cases using billing data., Conclusion: Automated reporting based on billing data from community specialty providers is likely to markedly enhance the completeness of treatment data among known cancer cases as these community providers render significant amounts of treatment for cancer patients.

Objective: To directly compare cancer incidence among Hispanic children and non-Hispanic white children in California and Florida, two states in the United States of America that include nearly one in three Hispanic children in the country., Methods: Cross-sectional data for 1988 through 1998 pertaining to all incident pediatric cancer cases (age < 15 years) with race/ethnicity coded as either Hispanic or non-Hispanic white came from the Florida Cancer Data System database and the California Cancer Registry database. The results were expressed as age-standardized incidence rates, standardized to the world standard million population. Hispanic rates and non-Hispanic white rates were compared using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs.)., Results: The SIR for all cancers for Hispanic children compared to non-Hispanic white children was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.05). For selected tumor types, SIRs indicated higher incidences among Hispanic children for leukemia (SIR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.34), Hodgkin's lymphoma (SIR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.54), and germ cell tumors (SIR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.34, 1.96). There were lower incidences for the Hispanic children for central nervous system tumors (SIR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.78) and for sympathetic nervous system tumors (SIR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.87). In terms of interstate differences, the incidence of lymphoma, central nervous system tumors, sympathetic nervous system tumors, and malignant bone tumors was highest among Hispanic youth in Florida; the incidence of hepatic tumors was highest among Hispanic youth in California., Conclusions: While the overall cancer incidence rate among Hispanic children was similar to that for non-Hispanic white children, significant differences for specific tumor types were identified. Since Hispanic ethnicity may be a confounder for other cancer risk factors (e.g., familial, socioeconomic, or environmental), it is recommended that future research into Hispanic pediatric cancer risk investigate these risk factors.

Background: The Hispanic population now represents the majority of residents in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The authors present cancer incidence and mortality data for South Florida's Hispanic women for the period 1990-1998 and compare these data to previously reported data from 1981-1989. Cancer incidence, risk, and mortality data should reflect current population distribution, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors so that cancer prevention and control activities are informed optimally., Methods: The study population consisted of all women with malignant disease during 1981-1998 from Miami-Dade County found in the Florida Cancer Data System data base; patients were divided into 2 9-year periods for analysis. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were computed for common disease sites; rates for Hispanic women were compared with the rates for non-Hispanic white (NHW) women as standardized rate ratios (SRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). Incidence and mortality trends were analyzed using linear regression., Results: Over 70,000 cancer incidents were analyzed. The overall decreased cancer risk for Hispanic women (SRR, 0.65; 95%CI, 0.64-0.67), compared with NHW women, remained essentially constant over the two study periods. Cancer incidence increased similarly for the two racial-ethnic groups. The incidence of lung carcinoma increased in both groups, becoming the second most common disease site for NHW women and the third most common disease site for Hispanic women., Conclusions: The decreased relative cancer risk for Hispanic women in South Florida has remained stable over the past 18 years. Lung carcinoma is increasing among women in both racial-ethnic groups., (Copyright 2002 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Hispanics now represent a majority of residents in Miami-Dade County, Florida. In this report, the authors present new cancer incidence and mortality data for South Florida's Hispanic men for the period 1990-1998 and compare them with data from a previous report from the 1980s. Periodic updating of cancer incidence data, reflecting current population distribution, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors, is necessary to inform cancer prevention and control activities optimally., Methods: The study population consisted of all incidents of cancer (1981-1998) occurring in males from Miami-Dade County, as determined from the Florida Cancer Data System data base; patients were divided into two 9-year periods for analysis. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were computed for 14 common cancer sites, and rates for Hispanic men were compared with the rates for non-Hispanic white men as standardized rate ratios (SRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Incidence and mortality trends were determined using linear regression analysis., Results: Nearly 70,000 incident cancer cases were analyzed. For 1990-1998, the top five incident cancers for both race/ethnic groups were the same. The overall decreased cancer risk for Hispanic men (SRR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.79-0.82), compared with non-Hispanic white men, remained essentially constant over the two study periods. Cancer incidence increased similarly for the two race-ethnic groups; cancer mortality decreased, with a sharper decrease for non-Hispanic white men, resulting in apparent convergence of mortality trends recently., Conclusions: Differences in cancer risk for South Florida's Hispanic men have not attenuated over the past 20 years. With cancer incidence significantly less for Hispanic men, their mortality rate approaches that of non-Hispanic white men, and cancer prevention and control strategies targeted for this ethnic group become increasingly important., (Copyright 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10321)