ODS-C key terms

The state or central registry document that specifies which cancer diagnoses, by site, histology, and behavior, must be reported and which are excluded, guiding casefinding decisions.

The systematic process of identifying potentially reportable cancer cases from sources such as pathology reports, disease indices, radiation logs, and billing records before abstracting begins.

The standardized extraction of demographic, clinical, treatment, and outcome data from the medical record into the registry's data fields according to coding manuals.

Any record in a facility, such as pathology reports, operative notes, imaging reports, or oncology clinic notes, used to identify and abstract cancer information.

A cancer diagnosis that meets the reporting criteria of the applicable registry and therefore must be reported, typically excluding certain skin and in-situ cases.

The decision, based on reportable list rules and diagnostic evidence, whether a given patient's cancer must be reported to the registry.

Standardized rules that determine whether two or more tumors in a patient represent separate primary cancers or one cancer with extension, recurrence, or metastasis.

A code assigned to each reportable tumor in a patient that reflects the order of diagnosis and distinguishes multiple primaries over a lifetime.

A numeric code, typically from the ICD-O morphology axis, describing the microscopic cell type and behavior of a tumor, such as adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

The ICD-O digit indicating whether a tumor is benign, borderline, in situ, malignant, or metastatic, which directly affects reportability.

The ICD-O topography code identifying the anatomic origin of the tumor, such as lung, breast, or colon, assigned during abstracting.

A staging system combining tumor, node, metastasis, and site-specific factors with registry data to produce a unified stage for analysis and comparison across cases.

A stage group calculated by registry software from input fields such as tumor size, nodes, and metastasis rather than recorded directly from a clinician's note.

The staging framework describing tumor size or invasion (T), regional lymph node involvement (N), and distant metastasis (M), often recorded as clinical or pathologic stage.

The description of how far a cancer has spread from its primary site, historically coded in registry systems and now largely replaced by derived staging fields.

A measure of tumor cell differentiation, usually from well differentiated to undifferentiated, which reflects aggressiveness and is coded in registry abstracting.

The coded description of the surgical procedure directed at the primary tumor, including excision, resection, or no surgery, used in treatment analysis.

A category of cancer-directed therapy such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or hormone therapy recorded for each reportable case.

The earliest date a physician documents the cancer diagnosis, used as the reference point for staging, survival, and reporting timelines.

A structured review of registry records against source documents to measure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of abstracted data.

The degree to which all eligible cancers in a facility's catchment area are captured and all required fields are populated in the registry.

The extent to which reportable cases are abstracted and submitted to the central registry within required timeframes after diagnosis.

A quality control method in which a second abstractor independently reviews a sample of cases and results are compared to the original abstract.

The consistency of coding decisions among different abstractors reviewing the same records, often measured with agreement statistics.

The obligation to protect identifiable patient information from unauthorized disclosure, governed by laws, registry policies, and data use agreements.

A formal contract specifying how shared registry data may be used, protected, and disclosed, often required before releasing data for research.

The process of removing or transforming identifiers so that data cannot reasonably be linked to an individual, enabling broader analytic use.

A registry that collects all reportable cancers occurring in a defined geographic population, supporting incidence, survival, and public health surveillance.

The number of new cancer cases in a population during a period, usually expressed per 100,000 persons per year and often age-adjusted.

A rate statistically standardized to a reference age distribution so populations with different age structures can be compared fairly.

Ongoing collection, analysis, and dissemination of cancer data to monitor trends, guide programs, and inform public health action.

Statistical methods estimating the probability of survival after diagnosis over time, often using observed or relative survival measures.

A survival measure comparing observed survival in cancer patients to expected survival in a similar cancer-free population, adjusting for other causes of death.

The proportion of cases diagnosed at each stage, used to assess early detection and compare outcomes across populations.

The process of matching registry records to other datasets, such as death certificates or hospital records, to improve completeness and outcomes follow-up.