Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the Medical-Insurance-System-based Cancer Surveillance System (MIS-CASS) in estimating cancer incidence by comparing the results with the Beijing Cancer Registry (BCR), which is one of the highest-quality population-based cancer registries in China. METHODS: Using lymphoma as an example, we extracted relevant claims data from the administrative systems of medical insurance in Beijing (2012-2020) and estimated the most current lymphoma incidence in Beijing (2019) using a standard data processing procedure. The absolute number of new cases, crude incidence rate, and age-standardized incidence rate of lymphoma were compared with the latest data reported by the BCR (2017). RESULTS: Both lymphoma incidence rates and age distribution of new cases estimated based on MIS-CASS were similar to the BCR data (crude incidence rate: 9.8/100,000 vs. 10.6/100,000). However, because MIS-CASS included more designated hospitals and covered a larger local stationary population irrespective of household registration (hukou), the absolute number of incident lymphoma cases identified by MIS-CASS was 39.1% higher than that reported by the BCR (2,002 vs. 1,439). CONCLUSIONS: The MIS-CASS approach reflected the actual cancer burden in a more complete and timely manner as compared with the current BCR, providing new insights for improving cancer surveillance strategies in China.