Keywords
record linkage
cohort studie
thyroid cancer.
How to Cite
Abstract
Prospective cohort studies, including those of the long-term
consequences of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) accident,
require long-term follow-up of participants to record their vital status
and medical events, including malignant neoplasms (MN). One of the
methods used is automated data linkage (record linkage) of the cohort of
the Ukrainian-American program «Scientific project to study cancer and
other thyroid diseases in Ukraine as a result of the Chornobyl accident»
(UkrAm cohort) and medical records of the National Cancer Registry of
Ukraine (NCRU). Objective. To describe methods for identifying in the Na-
tional Cancer Register of Ukraine database malignant neoplasms among
members of radiologically significant cohorts, experience in applying
record linkage in leading post-Chornobyl studies, and some scientific
results obtained using similar technologies. Material and methods.
Records of the NCRU database for the period 1998-2024 were used. Automated
data matching was performed using algorithms and software
developed in the NCRU. Results. A description of the methodology,
processes, and results of automated data matching (record linkage) for
searching cases of malignant neoplasm of thyroid or other sites among
members of the UkrAm cohort and participants of other epidemiological
studies is presented. Conclusions. The use of electronic databases of the
National Cancer Registry of Ukraine and automated record linkage technique
allowed the effective detection of malignant neoplasms among
members of the UkrAm cohort throughout the entire study period. The
information obtained makes it possible to quantitatively evaluate the impact
of the long-term consequences of the Chornobyl accident on the
oncological morbidity of the studied cohort.
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