The main purpose of this study is to describe the quality of the data used to calculate survival in Quebec. The discussion will focus on the quality of incidence and mortality data, the kind of file linkage needed to determine a person’s vital status, and the influence that this data quality has on survival results. This study is also part of a Canada-wide initiative to quantify cancer survival. Statistics Canada and the Canadian Cancer Survival Analysis Group have produced a Canadian Cancer Survival Protocol. To facilitate comparison, the protocol used in this survival study is largely based on the Canadian protocol.
The survival indicator is based primarily on the vital status of the cases reported. Vital status is not reported systematically in the Tumours File. It must be...