An evaluation of data items for the filing system of a gastric cancer screening project

We have been developing a database for gastric cancer screening test since 1979. People who live in the city area voluntarily undergo the test once a year, and the data of each examinee are stored into the file constituting a record for each visit. Up to the present time, 91 400 records have been entered into the database. The file is supported by FLXFL, an interactive system for programming-free data management and analysis, which runs on a PDP 11/44. A record consists of 56 items, that is: examinee's name, address, telephone number, past history, family history, present complaints, radiographic findings of the gastrointestinal tract and so forth. Data other than X-ray and gastro-camera findings are taken by questionnaire. Using the data in the file, we have statistically analysed whether each data item is useful or not for detecting a patient with gastric cancer. The results of the analyses are presented in this paper.