Cancer of the breast, colon, ovary, and testis in the United States: rates 1970-78 from a hospital reporting system.

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Abstract
The use of data from the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities-Professional Activity Study (CPHA-PAS) for ascertaining information on cancer incidence, with regional breakdowns was explored. Extirpative surgical procedures were linked with discharge diagnoses to provide estimates of numbers of incident cases. Incidence rates were calculated for 4 cancers: breast, colon, ovary and testis. CPHA-PAS inferred rates corresponded closely to those of other reporting systems for breast cancer in most age groups, and for colonic and testicular cancer in some age groups. Ovarian cancers rate were consistently underestimated. A cancer incidence reporting scheme based on hospital discharge data can work for certain cancers, and be very inexpensive and efficient. It must, however, be used with care.