The role of national population-based registries in pancreatic cancer surgery research

Abstract

Research and innovation are critical for advancing the multidisciplinary management of pancreatic cancer. Registry-based studies (RBSs) are a complement to randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Compared with RCTs, RBSs offer cost-effectiveness, larger sample sizes, and representation of real-world clinical practice. National population-based registries (NPBRs) aim to cover the entire national population, and studies based on NPBRs are, compared to non-NPBRs, less prone to selection bias. The last decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in NPBRs in pancreatic cancer surgery, which has undoubtedly added invaluable knowledge to the body of evidence on pancreatic cancer management. However, several methodological shortcomings may compromise the quality of registry-based studies. These include a lack of control over data collection and a lack of reporting on the quality of the source registry or database in terms of validation of coverage and data completeness and accuracy. Furthermore, there is a significant risk of double publication from the most commonly used registries as well as the inclusion of historical data that is not relevant or representative of research questions addressing current practices.