Data Source

Registry

Type of Study

Register

Data gathering method

Registries

Conditions of access

Formal agreements (e.g. fees, research contracts, institutional agreements, etc.)

Researchers can gain access to the database through Statistics Denmark. SSI transfers data to Statistics Denmark once a year.

Time elapsed between application and reception of data

Permission to use the Danish Register of Medicinal Product Statistics has to be requested from the Danish Data Protection Agency. This will extend the application process by 1-2 months.

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)

Anonymised microdata

Formats available

SAS

Language issues

Documentation is only available in Danish.

Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes

The register collects data annually and it covers all Danish citizens who have been diagnosed with cancer.

First year of collection

1987 - before that it was not compulsory to report

Stratification if applicable

Information on the entire Danish population.

Base used for sampling

N.A.

Geographical coverage and breakdowns

N.A.

Age range

N.A.

Statistical representativeness

Register covers all Danes with a cancer diagnosis.

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics

Covers health

Further Reading

A report that describes, i.e. data quality, is available in Danish at www.ssi.dk/.../...20%20metode%20og%20kvalitet.ashx

Standardisation

Diagnoses

Possibility of linkage among databases

Data from the Register of Medicinal Product Statistics can be linked to other register data available at Statistics Denmark through an encrypted identification key.

Entry errors if applicable

N.A.

Breaks

After automatic cross-checks against other registers, manual assessments of 10-20 percent of the cancer reports are performed. Sometimes it is necessary to contact the reporting entity to verify the illness. Including information from the pathology register contributes to the virtual completeness of the Cancer Register.

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection

N.A.

Strengths: This registry provides virtually complete coverage due to thorough data validation procedures and cross-checks with other registers. Weaknesses: No official documentation is available in English at www.ssi.dk.