Defining the Prostate Cancer Population in Texas Using Hospital Discharge Data

Manuel, Christopher J., Defining the prostate cancer population in Texas using hospital discharge data. Masters of Public Health (Biostatistics), May 2004, 25 pp., 6 tables, bibliography, 35 titles. The Texas Health Care Information Council (THCIC) was created by the 74th Texas Legislature in 1995. THCIC’s primary purpose is to provide data that will enable Texas consumers and health plan purchasers to make informed health care decisions. This data also serves the purpose of providing information about disease trends and hospital discharges. The purpose of this study was to describe the disease status of prostate cancer in the state of Texas. Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous male malignancy and ranks as the second cause of cancer-related mortality among men in the United States. Epidemiologic data was extracted from the data set for analysis looking at disease trends based on a variety of factors such as age, race, and insurance.