Objectives:
To conduct a fully independent, external validation of a research study based on one electronic health record database using a different database sampling from the same population.
Design:
Retrospective cohort analysis of β-blocker therapy and all-cause mortality in patients with cancer.
Setting:
Two UK national primary care databases (PCDs): the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and Doctors’ Independent Network (DIN).
Participants:
CPRD data for 11 302 patients with cancer compared with published results from DIN for 3462 patients; study period January 1997 to December 2006.
Primary and secondary outcome measures:
All-cause mortality: overall; by treatment subgroup (β-blockers only, β-blockers plus other blood pressure lowering medicines (BPLM), other BPLMs only); and by cancer site.
Results:
Using CPRD, β-blocker use was not associated with mortality (HR=1.03, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.14, vs patients prescribed other BPLMs only), but DIN β-blocker users had significantly higher mortality (HR=1.18, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.33). However, these HRs were not statistically different (p=0.063), but did differ for patients on β-blockers alone (CPRD=0.94, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.07; DIN=1.37, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.61; p<0.001). Results for individual cancer sites differed by study, but only significantly for prostate and pancreas cancers. Results were robust under sensitivity analyses, but we could not be certain that mortality was identically defined in both databases.
Conclusions:
We found a complex pattern of similarities and differences between databases. Overall treatment effect estimates were not statistically different, adding to a growing body of evidence that different UK PCDs produce comparable effect estimates. However, individually the two studies lead to different conclusions regarding the safety of β-blockers and some subgroup effects differed significantly. Single studies using even internally wellvalidated databases do not guarantee generalisable results, especially for subgroups, and confirmatory studies using at least one other independent data source are strongly recommended.
David A Springate, Darrent M Aschroft, Evangelos Kontopantelis, Tim Doran, Ronan Ryan, David Reeves, Can analyses of electronic patient records be independently and externally validated? Study 2—the effect of β-adrenoceptor blocker therapy on cancer survival a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 5(e007299), 2014.
| Code | Description | Entity type | Category | Coding System (Read) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B34..00 | Malig neop female breast (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B340.00 | Malig neop nipple/areola (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B340000 | Malig neop nipple of breast(f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B340100 | Malig neop areola of breast(f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B340z00 | Malig neop nippl/areol (f) NOS | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B341.00 | Malig neop cent part breast(f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B342.00 | Malig neop upp-inner quad (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B343.00 | Malig neop low-inner quad (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B344.00 | Malig neop upp-outer quad (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B345.00 | Malig neop low-outer quad (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B346.00 | Malig neop axillary tail (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B347.00 | Mal neopl - overlapping breast | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B34y.00 | Malig neop oth site breast (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B34y000 | Malig neop ectopic breast (f) | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B34yz00 | Malig neop oth breast (f) NOS | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
| B34z.00 | Malig neop female breast NOS | res24: breast cancer | diagnostic | Read |
To Export Phenotype Details:
| Format | API |
|---|---|
| XML | site_root/api/v1/public/phenotypes/PH643/version/1286/detail/?format=xml |
| JSON | site_root/api/v1/public/phenotypes/PH643/version/1286/detail/?format=json |
| R Package |
|
To Export Phenotype Code List:
| Format | API |
|---|---|
| XML | site_root/api/v1/public/phenotypes/PH643/version/1286/export/codes/?format=xml |
| JSON | site_root/api/v1/public/phenotypes/PH643/version/1286/export/codes/?format=json |
| CSV | site_root/phenotypes/PH643/version/1286/export/codes/ |
| R Package |
|
| Version ID |
Name | Owner | Publish date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1286 | Breast Cancer | ieuan.scanlon | 2021-10-06 | currently shown |
Export - export all codes into a csv file/JSON/XML for the current phenotype version.
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