Sensitivity of Cancer Registry Linkage with Missing or Incomplete Social Security Number and Implications for Cancer Cohorts
This study demonstrates that high sensitivity in cancer registry linkage can be achieved without a complete SSN, provided other personally identifiable information (e.g., name, date of birth, longitudinal address) is available. These findings support the feasibility of accurate cancer case identification in cohorts with limited SSN data, particularly for historically marginalized populations, and underscore the importance of designing inclusive population-based cancer studies.
Authors
- Alpa V Patel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8834-9896)
- Christina C. Newton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1471-5608)
- Lauren R. Teras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2419-8536)
- Lauren E. McCullough (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6723-9540)
- Kevin C. Ward (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-6192)
- Peter Briggs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7164-0545)
- Erin R. Gardner
- Anusila Deka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2601-2072)
Institutions
- American Cancer Society (US)
- Texas Department of State Health Services (US)
- Emory University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Epidemiology
- Published
- 2025-09-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1097/ede.0000000000001913
- Primary Topic
- Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00