Research & Data Process

The Alberta Cancer Registry is a database of all newly diagnosed cancers and deaths in the Alberta population. It provides access to all cancer patient data from multiple sources in one place. 

This includes:

• Population-based cancer registry for all cancers diagnosed in Alberta.
• Standard Diagnosis Information (diagnosis date, multiple primaries).
• Tumor and stage information at time of diagnosis.
• Mortality data (follow-up from Vital Status)

Availability: Diagnosis Date from January 1st, 2002 – December 30th, 2022, Follow-up date from April 12th,2022 to November 14th ,2024.

• ARIA chemo dataset: Type of systemic treatment, Regimen, Names of prescription, Date of prescription or administration, and Description of dose unit given.
• Radiotherapy dataset: Type of systemic treatment, Regimen, Names of prescription, Date of prescription or administration, and Description of dose unit given.
• Visit dataset: High and detailed level of classification of visit type.
• CC Adm dataset (Medication Administration data from CC): The data when an order was placed, the date when medication was administered (via inpatient hospital setting).
• CC Disp dataset (Medication Dispense data from CC): In general, dispense data contains drugs that were NOT given via administration database. The data when an order was placed and the date when medication was administered (via a pharmacy).

The DAD provides demographic, administrative, and clinical data from acute inpatient care and day surgeries, serving as a database primarily used for inpatient hospitalizations. 

Availability: Admit Date from April 2002 – March 2024

NACRS collects demographic, administrative, clinical and service-specific data, primarily used for emergency department (ED), urgent care, and same-day surgery visits.

Availability: Visit Date from April 2001 – March 2024

Diagnoses Identification:

• ICD-10-CA codes help classify primary and secondary health conditions.
• Example: C50.9 for breast cancer (unspecified site).

Procedure Identification:

• CCI codes capture clinical interventions such as surgeries, imaging and therapies.
• Example: 1YM98 for a mastectomy.

Linking Care Episodes:

• Combining codes from both datasets provides a comprehensive picture of patient care, including inpatient stays, surgeries, and follow-up care inpatient or emergency settings.

The Practitioner Claims database contains information on physician service utilization, patient encounters, and payment records submitted through the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP).

We primarily use billing codes rom the database to identify specific surgical procedures and complementary treatments that may not be fully captured by CCI codes. This includes:

Mastectomy Types:

• 97.12A/ 97.12B: Mastectomy without reconstruction
• 97.21: Mastectomy with immediate reconstruction

Breast Reconstruction Procedures:

• 97.43: Implant reconstruction
• 97.95: Tissue expander reconstruction
• 98.51B: Flap/ autologous reconstruction

Availability: April 2002- March 2024 

The PIN database contains detailed records of pharmaceutical dispensations from community-based pharmacies across the province. It provides data on prescribed medications, enabling the identification of treatment regimens.

We primarily use the ATC Codes to identify rugs related to specific treatments. For example:

• Endocrine Therapy: ATC Code L02BA01 for Tamoxifen to track hormone therapy prescriptions.

Availability: January 1st, 2008 - 2024

Vital Statistics (VS-DR) contains records that deaths occurring within the province of Alberta. For deaths, demographic information as well as the date, location, cause of death and autopsy information are collected.

Availability: Vital Statistics - Death Registry: April 2002- October 2024.

The Provincial Registry provides demographic and geographic information from basic medical and hospital care claims. Data is collected from all eligible residents in Alberta with Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) coverage. The number of registrants can be used as a base for population counts.

Availability: April 2000- April 2024