Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the possible bias that may occur in case-control studies when exposure information is not collected from all potentially eligible cases. The data used in this study were collected in the metropolitan area of Atlanta as part of a multicenter, population-based, case-control study of oropharyngeal cancer. In-person interviews were conducted with 112 cases (67.9 percent) and information on an additional 23 ill or deceased cases (13.9 percent) was collected through surrogate respondents. The cases about whom information was collected from surrogate respondents had more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis and were more likely to be black and less educated than cases who were interviewed in person. Cigarette smoking and consumption of hard liquor were more common among the cases about whom information was collected through surrogates. Therefore, failure to include such information would have resulted in underestimates of the strength of association between these exposures and the risk of oropharyngeal cancer.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Berg J. W., Ross R., Latourette H. B. Economic status and survival of cancer patients. Cancer. 1977 Feb;39(2):467–477. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197702)39:2<467::aid-cncr2820390215>3.0.co;2-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Borland B. L. Relative effects of low socio-economic status, parental smoking and poor scholastic performance on smoking among high school students. Soc Sci Med. 1975 Jan;9(1):27–30. doi: 10.1016/0037-7856(75)90155-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Chirikos T. N., Reiches N. A., Moeschberger M. L. Economic differentials in cancer survival: a multivariate analysis. J Chronic Dis. 1984;37(3):183–193. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(84)90146-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hartge P., Cahill J. I., West D., Hauck M., Austin D., Silverman D., Hoover R. Design and methods in a multi-center case-control interview study. Am J Public Health. 1984 Jan;74(1):52–56. doi: 10.2105/ajph.74.1.52. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kleinbaum D. G., Morgenstern H., Kupper L. L. Selection bias in epidemiologic studies. Am J Epidemiol. 1981 Apr;113(4):452–463. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kozarevic D., Racic Z., Gordon T., Kaelber C. T., McGee D., Zukel W. J. Drinking habits and other characteristics: the Yugoslavia Cardiovascular Disease Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1982 Aug;116(2):287–301. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113413. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MANTEL N., HAENSZEL W. Statistical aspects of the analysis of data from retrospective studies of disease. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1959 Apr;22(4):719–748. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Miettinen O. Estimability and estimation in case-referent studies. Am J Epidemiol. 1976 Feb;103(2):226–235. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112220. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sackett D. L. Bias in analytic research. J Chronic Dis. 1979;32(1-2):51–63. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(79)90012-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]