title: Accuracy of self-reported personal history of cancer in an outpatient breast center.
abstract: The self-reporting of cancer history is becoming increasingly important, as it frequently guides medical decision-making. We studied the accuracy of personal cancer history using a self-administered questionnaire, comparing the results with the Tumor Registry at our institution. Among 39,662 records, we identified 3614 women with a single cancer in the Tumor Registry who reported none or one cancer on their questionnaire. The sensitivity in self-reporting cancers was 85.7%, ranging from 92.1% for breast cancer to 42.9% for leukemia. The accuracy for breast cancer and Hodgkin's Lymphoma was significantly better than other cancers (p=0.00027, CI: 1.4-3.88). Analysis of patient's characteristics showed that Caucasians reported breast cancer more accurately than Asian/Pacific Islanders (p=0.008), and those with Jewish ancestry more accurately than non-Jewish (p=0.0435). These results will help us to improve data collection and thus improve medical decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 32 Fruit street YAW-7, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Elkan F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Halpern
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Drohan
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grinstein
authors.forename: Dalliah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Barbara L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Michele A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gadd
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kopans
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Sherwood S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Constance A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008838:Microcomputers; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D012042:Registries; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics