The National Cancer Data Base report on trends in cancer patient staging.
BACKGROUND
Previous Commission on Cancer studies have examined trends in the staging of cancer patients. Reported herein are the most current National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) data on staging.


METHODS
Two "calls for data" have yielded a total of 770,100 reports of patients with cancer eligible for staging.


RESULTS
For all stageable sites combined, the percentage of cases with documentation of staging increased from 1985 through 1990 (53% in 1985 vs. 77% in 1990). Cancers of the colon and breast were staged most frequently. Of the 837 NCDB-participating hospitals, 557 (67%) staged 80% or more of the patients with cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the frequency of staging is a function of hospitals rather than physicians or types of patients. Many interrelated factors contributed to the increase in the frequency of staging.
Henson
D E
DE
Early Detection Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
Menck
H R
HR
D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index