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

Turner, Emma LMetcalfe, ChrisDonovan, Jenny LNoble, SianSterne, Jonathan A CLane, J AtheneI Walsh, EleanorHill, Elizabeth MDown, LizBen-Shlomo, YoavOliver, Steven EEvans, SimonBrindle, PeterWilliams, Naomi JHughes, Laura JDavies, Charlotte FNg, Siaw YeinNeal, David EHamdy, Freddie CAlbertsen, PeterReid, Colette MOxley, JonMcFarlane, JohnRobinson, Mary CAdolfsson, JanZietman, AnthonyBaum, MichaelKoupparis, AnthonyMartin, Richard M2016-08-092016Turner, E. L., C. Metcalfe, J. L. Donovan, S. Noble, J. A. C. Sterne, J. A. Lane, E. I Walsh, et al. 2016. “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.” British Journal of Cancer 115 (1): 90-94. doi:10.1038/bjc.2016.162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2016.162.0007-0920http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:27822233Background: 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.en-UScluster randomised controlled trialscreeningprostate cancerprostate cancer mortalitycause of deathdeath certificationsensitivityspecificityContemporary 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 committeeJournal Article2016-08-0910.1038/bjc.2016.162