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) |
---|---|---|---|---|
B13..00 | Malig neop of colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B130.00 | Malig neop hepatic flex colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B131.00 | Malig neop of transverse colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B132.00 | Malig neop of descending colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B133.00 | Malig neop of sigmoid colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B134.00 | Malig neop of caecum | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B135.00 | Malig neop of appendix | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B136.00 | Malig neop of ascending colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B137.00 | Malig neop splenic flex colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B138.00 | Mal neop overlap lesn of colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B13y.00 | Malig neop oth spec site colon | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B13z.00 | Malig neop of colon NOS | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B14..00 | Malig neop of rectum and anus | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B140.00 | Malig neop rectosigmoid junct | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B141.00 | Malig neop of rectum | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B142.00 | Malig neop of anal canal | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B142000 | Mal neopl of cloacogenic zone | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B143.00 | Malig neop of anus unspecified | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B14y.00 | Malig neop oth rectum and anus | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
B14z.00 | Malig neop rectum and anus NOS | res24: colon cancer | diagnostic | Read |
To Export Phenotype Details:
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R Package |
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To Export Phenotype Code List:
Format | API |
---|---|
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CSV | site_root/phenotypes/PH645/version/1290/export/codes/ |
R Package |
|
Version ID |
Name | Owner | Publish date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1290 | Colon Cancer | ieuan.scanlon | 2021-10-06 | currently shown |
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