Case Consolidation

One of the major functions of a central cancer registry is to consolidate cancer case data from multiple reporting sources and facilities or institutions for the same patient (i.e., the reports are "consolidated" into one comprehensive case).

The logic of case consolidation is closely related to both code category assignment and data editing. When data from multiple sources pertaining to the same person or case are combined, inevitable discrepancies between information on file and new data appear. Some discrepancies represent new information (for example, a more detailed morphology), some are erroneous such as a misspelled name. Consolidation rules determine which data inconsistencies can be resolved automatically and when to assign precedence of one category over another. Shared standards for case consolidation are likely to be developed in the coming years, as rules for code assignment evolve.