title: [Cancer in Spain (1977-1987): an analysis of the Hospital Morbidity Survey].
abstract: The aim of the present work is to evaluate the usefulness of the Hospital Morbidity Survey for the study of cancer morbidity in Spain. The study covers the period 1977-1987. Age-standardized rates for the following groups have been estimated: "hospital admissions by sex, age and final diagnosis" and "hospital admissions (new cases) by age, sex and final diagnosis". During the period 1983-84 an important increase in the frequency of all malignant tumours has coincided with an equivalent decrease in the non-specified category, leading to the conclusion that an information bias is present. This bias limits the study of temporal series of cancer morbidity in Spain and suggests that a modification of the Spanish Hospital Morbidity Survey is urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruiz Tovar
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Navarro
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D015982:Bias; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
vernacular_title: El cáncer en España (1977-1987): análisis de la Encuesta de Morbilidad Hospitalaria.