Table 1.

Definition of treatment variables according to source of information in the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago study

Radiation, Chemotherapy or Hormone Therapy Treatment	Offered/Recommended	Initiated
In-Person Interviews	Were you offered [treatment] or was it suggested that you accept this treatment? Yes/No	If patient agreed to have [treatment]: Have you begun [this treatment] yet? Yes/No
Medical Record Abstraction	Evidence that [this treatment] was recommended (e.g. documented receipt, treatment plan or provider note)? Yes/No	Evidence that [treatment] was initiated (e.g. start date, type, dose)? Yes/No
Illinois State Cancer Registry	Recommendation coded as “Yes”: Treatment administered; Not administered (as part of first source) but recommended; Not administered but recommended it and was refused; Recommended, but unknown if administered. Recommendation coded as “No”: Not administered-not part of first course; Not administered-contraindicated.	Treatment initiation coded as “Yes”: Treatment was administered; Initiation coded as “No”: Not administered-not part of first course; Not administered-contraindicated; Not administered-patient died; Not administered (as part of first source) but was recommended; Not administered but physician recommended it and was refused.
Final Treatment Variable	“Yes” if yes according to any of the 3 sources, otherwise No.	“Yes” if yes according to any of the 3 sources, otherwise No.