[Quality control in the establishment and management of gastric cancer database]

The establishment of a high-quality gastric cancer database significantly improves the efficiency and standardization of diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Our center has developed a specialized, single-center gastric cancer database and initiated the China Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery Union, catalyzing the exploration of multi-center databases. This article encapsulates multi-level experience and provides a detailed overview of the quality control methods we implement in both constructing and managing the gastric cancer database. Utilizing an electronic medical record system and a multi-disciplinary treatment (MDT) approach, we have designed the database in a modular and multi-nodal manner. A synthesis of automatic retrieval of structured data and manual entry, coupled with a rigorous MDT system and real-time supervision at various nodes, bolster our real-time quality control efforts. Ensuring data security and digitized management plans alongside real-time review protocol and a multi-level review system, we maintain the highest standards in the initiation and management of the database. Through the establishment of the China Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery Union platform, we endorse the concept that multi-center database construction should be driven by research objectives, consider data accessibility, while placing an emphasis on building inter-center consensus on data quality control. Moving forward, it is crucial that the development of multi-center databases promotes uniformity in medical standards across centers, cultivates stable public data sharing platforms, ensures robust data security protocols, routinely conducts data quality assessments, and bolsters multi-center cooperation and exchanges to promote the homogeneity of medical standards.