title: Contemporary accuracy of death certificates for coding prostate cancer as a cause of death: Is reliance on death certification good enough? A comparison with blinded review by an independent cause of death evaluation committee.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accurate cause of death assignment is crucial for prostate cancer epidemiology and trials reporting prostate cancer-specific mortality outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared death certificate information with independent cause of death evaluation by an expert committee within a prostate cancer trial (2002-2015).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1236 deaths assessed, expert committee evaluation attributed 523 (42%) to prostate cancer, agreeing with death certificate cause of death in 1134 cases (92%, 95% CI: 90%, 93%). The sensitivity of death certificates in identifying prostate cancer deaths as classified by the committee was 91% (95% CI: 89%, 94%); specificity was 92% (95% CI: 90%, 94%). Sensitivity and specificity were lower where death occurred within 1 year of diagnosis, and where there was another primary cancer diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  UK death certificates accurately identify cause of death in men with prostate cancer, supporting their use in routine statistics. Possible differential misattribution by trial arm supports independent evaluation in randomised trials.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Emma L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Jenny L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Sian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noble
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan A C
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sterne
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: J Athene
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: I Walsh
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Liz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Down
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben-Shlomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York and the Hull York Medical School, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Urology Department, Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative, South Plaza, Marlborough Street, Bristol BS1 3NX, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brindle
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK.
authors.forename: Naomi J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Box 279 (S4), Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Freeman Hospital, High Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DN, UK.
authors.forename: Siaw Yein
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
authors.forename: Freddie C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Hamdy
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, St Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Albertsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, Bristol BS2 8ED, UK.
authors.forename: Colette M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oxley
authors.affiliation: Urology Department, Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK.
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Karolinska Institutet, Stokholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adolfsson
authors.affiliation: Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zietman
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baum
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koupparis
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.|School of Social and Community Medicine, MRC/University of Bristol Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D003644:Death Certificates; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity