AIDS and cancer registry linkage: measurement and enhancement of registry completeness. The National AIDS/Cancer Match Study Group.

BACKGROUND AND

METHODS

To measure AIDS registry completeness for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and cancer registry completeness for KS and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we linked AIDS and cancer registries at selected health departments.

RESULTS

We found 10,350 people with KS: 1,935 reported only to the AIDS registry, 1,428 reported only to the cancer registry, and 6,987 reported to both. Ninety-three cases of non-HIV-associated KS were expected. For KS, AIDS registry completeness was 84% [6,987/(6,987 + 1,428 - 93)] and cancer registry completeness was 78% [6,987/(6,987 + 1,935)]. Cancer registry completeness for AIDS-related NHL was 76%.

CONCLUSION

If this linking were conducted nationally, about 5,700 additional cases of AIDS and 10,000 additional cases of AIDS-related cancers would be recorded.