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Curate cancer recurrence events

This recipe is part of Advanced Data Curation: capturing facts that do not exist in OMOP.

User goal
Capture cancer recurrence after a disease-free interval, distinct from initial diagnosis or progression.

When to use this
Use to derive disease-free-survival endpoints for oncology real-world evidence, registry quality, or outcomes research.

Required inputs/data

  • Dataset built from a cohort or ingestion results (see the "Build a dataset" recipe reference in Scenario: S3 to cohort to dataset to Data Curation) for oncology patients with follow-up documentation
  • Note types such as oncology progress notes, imaging reports, pathology reports, or tumor-board notes
  • A custom registry defining the recurrence fields

Custom registry fields (illustrative)

  • recurrence
  • recurrence_date
  • recurrence_type
  • recurrence_site
  • detection_method

Patient Journey Intelligence features involved

  • Dataset Builder / Explorer
  • Data Curation Studio
  • Custom Registries
  • Curation Results and evidence review
  • Patient Timeline
  • Result export

Step-by-step workflow

  1. Build a dataset of oncology patients with adequate follow-up notes.
  2. Define a custom registry with the recurrence fields.
  3. Run the curation job.
  4. Review each recurrence assertion against its evidence and the patient timeline.
  5. Correct and validate values; reconcile recurrence versus progression versus residual disease.
  6. Export recurrence events and join them to the cohort to compute disease-free intervals.

Expected output

  • Structured recurrence events with date, type, and site
  • Evidence-linked, reviewed values
  • Exportable table enabling disease-free-survival analysis

Edge cases / limitations

  • Recurrence must be separated from disease progression and treatment-related findings.
  • "Suspicious for recurrence" or "rule out" language should not be coded as confirmed recurrence.
  • Date precision varies; record the most defensible date and keep evidence.
  • A patient may have multiple recurrence events over time.

User value

  • Provides recurrence endpoints oncology research and registries need but coded data often cannot deliver.

Next step​

See related recipes: Recipe 13: Curate reason for medication discontinuation or switch, Recipe 14: Curate implanted-device / UDI details, Recipe 16: Curate family history with pedigree detail.