Data Quality

The NICER Coordination Centre monitors regularly a number of data quality measures for the NICER database. Quality of data in cancer registration usually comprises four areas:

Completeness of case ascertainment

The extent to which all of the incident cancers occurring in the population are included in the database

Validity

• internal: harmonization and consistency of the data (levelling of differences in coding; prevention of double registrations; logical sequences of dates; valid combination of topography and morphology; etc.
• external: representativeness (degree of bias) of the data

Accuracy

Accuracy of detail and reporting
(in collaboration with cancer registries)

Timeliness

Indicator for the time elapsed between the date of diagnosis and the date of data release.