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. 2024 Spring;51(1):21-28.

Summary of Veterans Health Administration Cancer Data Sources

Leah L Zullig  1   2 , Shelley A Jazowski  2   3 , Neetu Chawla  4 , Christina D Williams  1   2 , David Winski  1   2 , Christopher G Slatore  5   6 , Alecia Clary  1 , Kelli M Rasmussen  7 , Leann M Ticknor  8 , Michael J Kelley  1   2   9
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Summary of Veterans Health Administration Cancer Data Sources

Leah L Zullig et al. J Registry Manag. 2024 Spring.

Abstract

Objectives: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a leader in generating transformational research across the cancer care continuum. Given the extensive body of cancer-related literature utilizing VHA data, our objectives are to: (1) describe the VHA data sources available for conducting cancer-related research, and (2) discuss examples of published cancer research using each data source.

Methods: We identified commonly used data sources within the VHA and reviewed previously published cancer-related research that utilized these data sources. In addition, we reviewed VHA clinical and health services research web pages and consulted with a multidisciplinary group of cancer researchers that included hematologist/oncologists, health services researchers, and epidemiologists.

Results: Commonly used VHA cancer data sources include the Veterans Affairs (VA) Cancer Registry System, the VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR), the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW)-Oncology Raw Domain (subset of data within the CDW), and the VA Cancer Care Cube (Cube). While no reference standard exists for cancer case ascertainment, the VACCR provides a systematic approach to ensure the complete capture of clinical history, cancer diagnosis, and treatment. Like many population-based cancer registries, a significant time lag exists due to constrained resources, which may make it best suited for historical epidemiologic studies. The CDW-Oncology Raw Domain and the Cube contain national information on incident cancers which may be useful for case ascertainment and prospective recruitment; however, additional resources may be needed for data cleaning.

Conclusions: The VHA has a wealth of data sources available for cancer-related research. It is imperative that researchers recognize the advantages and disadvantages of each data source to ensure their research questions are addressed appropriately.

Keywords: Veterans Health Administration; data sources; neoplasms; oncology; population health; research methods.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Data Flow Between VHA Cancer Data Sources
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