United States Cancer Statistics
Public Information Mortality Data
1999 - 2009

Summary

Summary:    Cancer mortality data are available for the United States, state and metropolitan areas (MSA) by age group, race, gender and cancer site for the years 1999 - 2009.
Source:   

The United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) are the official federal statistics on cancer incidence and mortality from registries having high-quality data and cancer mortality statistics for 50 states and the District of Columbia. USCS are produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

Mortality data are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Vital Statistics System (NVSS).

About mortality rate comparisons:

  • For consistency with the data on cancer incidence, the cancer sites in mortality data were grouped according to the revised SEER recodes dated January 27, 2003 (see SEER Cause of Death Recodes). Because NCHS uses different groupings for some sites, the death rates in this report may differ slightly from those published by NCHS.
  • The population used to age-adjust the rates in this report is the 2000 U.S. standard population, which is in accordance with a 1998 recommendation of the US. Department of Health and Human Services. The 2000 U.S. standard population is based on the proportion of the 2000 population in specific age groups (younger than 1 year, 1-4 years, 5-9 years, 10-14 years, 15-19 years, . . . 85 years or older); the proportions of the 2000 population in these age groups serve as weights for calculating age-adjusted incidence and death rates. NCHS, however, uses a different set of age groups in its age adjustment of death rates, and thus the cancer death rates in this report may differ slightly from those published by NCHS.
  • Deaths of persons of unknown age are not included in this data set. Death counts and rates may differ slightly from other reports where deaths of persons of unknown age are included.


In WONDER:    You can produce tables, maps, charts, and data extracts. Obtain death counts, crude rates, and age-adjusted rates with 95% confidence intervals, and select specific disease and demographic criteria to produce cross-tabulated mortality measures. Data are organized into three levels of geographic detail: national, state and Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). The population estimates used as the denominator for rate calculations are also shown. You can limit and index your data by any and all of these variables:
  1. Location - Regions and Divisions, or States, or Metropolitan Areas (MSA)
  2. Year - 1999-2009
  3. Age Group
  4. Race - All, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American, White
  5. Ethnicity - Hispanic, Non-Hispanic, Unknown or Missing
  6. Gender (Sex) - Female, Male
  7. Leading Cancer Sites
  8. Cancer Sites

The following statistical measures are available as query results:

  1. Deaths
  2. Age-Adjusted Rates
  3. 95% Confidence Intervals for Age-adjusted rates
  4. Crude Rates (optional)

Contents:   

United States Cancer Statistics Data Request
Data Source Information
Additional Information

United States Cancer Statistics Data Request

Output:    You can produce tables, maps, charts, and data extracts. Obtain death counts, age-adjusted and crude death rates from the United States Cancer Statistics public information data. The population estimates used as the denominator for rate calculations are also shown.
Variables:    You can limit and index your data by any and all of the variables.
How?    The Request screen has sections to guide you through the making a data request as step-by-step process. However, to get your first taste of how the system works, you might want to simply press any Send button, and execute the default data request. The data results for your query appear on the Table screen. After you get your data results, try the Chart and Map screens. Or export your data to a file (tab-delimited line listing) for download to your computer.
For more information, see the following:
Quick Start Guide;
Step 1, Organize and label results;
Step 2, Select location;
Step 3, Select year and demographics;
Step 4, Select cancers of interest;
Step 5, Other Options.
'By-Variables'    Select variables that serve as keys (indexes) for organizing your data. See How do I organize my data? for more information.
Notes:  
  • To map your data, you must select at least one geographical location as a "By-Variable" for grouping your data, such as State or MSA.
  • Metropolitan areas (MSA) do not combine with Regions, Divisions and States. For example, you cannot group results by State, and limit your data to selected MSA locations in the same query.
Help:    Click on any button labeled "Help", located to the right hand side of the screen at the top of each section. Each control's label, such as the "Location" label next to the Location entry box, is linked to the on-line help for that item.
Send:    Sends your data request to be processed on the CDC WONDER databases. The Send buttons are located on the bottom of the Request page, and also in the upper right corner of each section, for easy access.

Step 1. Organize table layout:
Group Results By:    Select up to five variables that serve as keys for grouping your data. See Group Results By below for hints.
Include Crude Rates:    Select the checkbox to include Crude Rates in your report.
Title:    Enter any desired description to display as a title with your results.

The following statistical measures are available as query results:

  1. Deaths
  2. Age-Adjusted Rates
  3. 95% Confidence Intervals for Age-adjusted rates
  4. Crude Rates (optional)
    Select the checkbox to include Crude Rates in your report.

Group Results By...

Select up to five variables that serve as keys for grouping your data. For example, you could select to group (summarize, stratify, index) your data by Location (State or MSA) and Race.

How?    See How do I organize my data? for more information.

Hints:   

  1. About genital system cancers:
    When generating a report by primary site, it is appropriate to either select cases by gender or generate a report by gender. By default this program includes population data for both sexes in the rate calculations. However, sex-specific population denominators are used to calculate rates for sex-specific cancers such as prostate, ovary or cervix. For a complete list of sex-specific cancers, see breast and genital system cancers.
  2. When age-adjusted rates are calculated, you cannot group the data by Age Group.
  3. You cannot group the data by both State and by MSA. You can group by State only when you have chosen State locations. You can group by MSA only when you have chosen MSA locations.
  4. About charts:
    You cannot make charts when your data has more than two By-Variables.
  5. About maps:
    To make a map, you must request data with a geographic location variable, such as Region or State, as a "By-Variable." Then click the Map tab.
Deaths

Cancer deaths are based on information from all death certificates in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and processed by the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Age-Adjusted Rates

Age-adjusted rates are calculated with age distribution ratios from the Year 2000 "standard million" population, and the rates are shown per 100,000 population.

An age-adjusted rate is a weighted average of the age-specific (crude) rates, where the weights are the proportions of persons in the corresponding age groups of a standard million population. The potential confounding effect of age is reduced when comparing age-adjusted rates computed using the same standard million population.

For more information on how age-adjusted rates are calculated, see:

Notes:
  • Deaths of persons of unknown age are not included in this data set. Death counts, crude death rates and age-adjusted death rates may differ slightly from other reports where deaths of persons of unknown age are included.
  • About populations:
    • The population used to age-adjust the rates in this data set is the 2000 U.S. standard population, which is in accordance with a 1998 recommendation of the US. Department of Health and Human Services. The 2000 U.S. standard population is based on the proportion of the 2000 population in specific age groups (younger than 1 year, 1-4 years, 5-9 years, 10-14 years, 15-19 years, . . . 85 years or older); the proportions of the 2000 population in these age groups serve as weights for calculating age-adjusted incidence and death rates.
    • Cancer death rates on this web site may differ slightly from those published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) because NCHS uses age groups as recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in its adjustment of death rates.
    • The data published here should not be compared with cancer death rates adjusted to different standard populations.
    • Death rates are also influenced by the choice of population denominators used in calculating the rates. Because some state health departments use customized state population projections when calculating incidence and death rates, the rates published here may differ slightly from those published by individual states.
    • Note that the weights used to calculate age-adjusted rates are derived from the specific populations selected as data request criteria. For example, if you limit your request to specific age groups, then the weights are calculated to represent the selected population.
  • About cancer sites:    For consistency with the data on cancer incidence, the cancer sites in mortality data were grouped according to the revised SEER recodes for ICD-10 cause of death classifications, dated January 27, 2003 (see SEER Cause of Death Recode). Because the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses different groupings of cause of death codes for some cancer site classifications, the death rates in this report may differ slightly from those published by NCHS.


How are age-adjusted rates calculated?

The age-adjusted rate is calculated by multiplying the age-specific rate for each age group by the corresponding weight from the specified standard population, then summing across all age groups, and then multiplying this result by 100,000.

Age-Adjusted Rate = (Sum of (Each Age Specific Rate * Each Standard Population Weight) )* 100,000

The age-specific rate is the number of incidents for a given age group, divided by the population of that age group.

Number of incidents in age group
Age Specific Rate =
Population of age group

The "standard population weight" for an age group is calculated by dividing the population for the age group by the sum of the populations for all of the age groups in the query.

Population for age group
Standard Population Weight =
Sum of populations for all age groups

What standard population weights are used for age-adjusted rate calculations?

Note that the weights used to calculate age-adjusted rates are derived from the specific populations selected as data request criteria. For example, if you limit your request to specific age groups, then the weights are calculated to represent the selected population.

What are the age-specific populations for the standard populations?

Refer to the following tables to see the age-specific populations for the various "standard million" populations.

2000 US Standard Million Population
	
  	  	Standard    	
Age Group   	Population	Weight	

00-00 years	 13,818		0.013818
01-04 years	 55,317		0.055317
05-09 years	 72,533		0.072533
10-14 years	 73,032		0.073032
15-19 years	 72,169		0.072169
20-24 years	 66,478		0.066478
25-29 years	 64,529		0.064529
30-34 years	 71,044		0.071044
35-39 years	 80,762		0.080762
40-44 years	 81,851		0.081851
45-49 years	 72,118		0.072118
50-54 years	 62,716		0.062716
55-59 years	 48,454		0.048454
60-64 years	 38,793		0.038793
65-69 years	 34,264		0.034264
70-74 years	 31,773		0.031773
75-79 years	 26,999		0.026999
80-84 years	 17,842		0.017842
85+ years	 15,508		0.015508
1970 US Standard Million Population
	
 	 	  	Standard    
	Age Group   	Population	Weight		

	00-00 years 	 17,151		0.017151
	01-04 years	 67,265		0.067265
	05-09 years 	 98,204		0.098204
	10-14 years	102,304		0.102304
	20-24 years	 80,561		0.080561
	25-39 years	 66,320		0.066320
	30-34 years	 56,249		0.056249
	35-39 years	 54,656		0.054656
	40-44 years	 58,958		0.058958
	45-49 years	 59,622		0.059622
	50-54 years	 54,643		0.054643
	55-59 years	 49,077		0.049077
	60-64 years	 42,403		0.042403
	65-69 years	 34,406		0.034406
	70-74 years	 26,789		0.026789
	75-79 years	 18,871		0.018871
	80-84 years	 11,241		0.011241
	85+ years	  7,435		0.007435
1940 US Standard Million Population
	
  	  	Standard    
Age Group   	Population	Weight	

00-00 years	 15,343		0.015343
01-04 years	 64,718		0.064718
05-09 years	 81,147		0.081147
10-14 years	 89,208		0.089208
15-19 years	 93,670		0.093670
20-24 years	 88,007		0.088007
25-29 years	 84,277		0.084277
30-34 years	 77,789		0.077789
35-39 years	 72,495		0.072495
40-44 years	 66,742		0.066742
45-49 years	 62,697		0.062697
50-54 years	 55,114		0.055114
55-59 years	 44,383		0.044383
60-64 years	 35,911		0.035911
65-69 years	 28,911		0.028911
70-74 years	 19,515		0.019515
75-79 years	 11,422		0.011422
80-84 years	  5,881		0.005881
85+ years	  2,770		0.002770
2000 World Standard Million Population
	
 	  	Standard    
Age Group   	Population	Weight		

00-00 years	 24,000		0.024000
01-04 years	 96,000		0.096000
05-09 years	100,000		0.100000
10-14 years	 90,000		0.090000
15-19 years	 90,000		0.090000
20-24 years	 80,000		0.080000
25-29 years	 80,000		0.080000
30-34 years	 60,000		0.060000
35-39 years	 60,000		0.060000
40-44 years	 60,000		0.060000
45-49 years 	 60,000		0.060000
50-54 years 	 50,000		0.050000
55-59 years	 40,000		0.040000
60-64 years	 40,000		0.040000
65-69 years	 30,000		0.030000
70-74 years 	 20,000		0.020000
75-79 years 	 10,000		0.010000
80-84 years	  5,000		0.005000
85+ years	  5,000		0.005000

95% Confidence Intervals for Age-Adjusted Rates

The 95% confidence intervals calculated for age-adjusted rates use the Chi Square or Gamma distribution method. The 1999-2009 USCS online database uses the Tiwari method, see "Efficient interval estimation for age-adjusted cancer rates" by Ram C. Tiwari, Limin X. Clegg and Zhaohui Zou, published Statistical Methods in Medical Research 2006; 15: 547-569.

Crude Rates

Crude Rates are optional. Select the checkbox on the Request page to include Crude Rates in your report.

Crude Rates are expressed as the number of cases reported each calendar year per 100,000 population.

Crude Rate = Count / Population * 100,000

The population estimates for the denominators of rates are race-specific and sex-specific county population estimates aggregated to the state or metropolitan area level. See Population Denominator Data Sources below for more information.

Notes:
  • Rates are calculated per 100,000 population by default.
  • Crude rates are helpful in determining the need for services for a given population, relative to another population, regardless of size. Crude rates are influenced by the underlying age distribution of the state's population. Even if two states have the same age-adjusted rates, the state with the relatively older population (as demonstrated by having a higher median age) will have higher crude rates because incidence or death rates for most cancers increase with increasing age.
  • The year 2000 Census population counts varied from previous population estimates for the years 1990-1999. Rates for geographic areas with small populations and for specific racial or ethnic populations appear to be affected to a greater degree and should be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, since corrections to the population denominators extrapolated from the 1990 census were larger in the late 1990s than earlier in the decade, rates calculated for the late 1990s may be subject to more change than rates calculated for the early 1990s.
  • Select the precision for rate calculations in the Other Options section. When the rate calculated for a small numerator (death count) is zero, you may increase the precision to reveal the rate by showing more numbers to the right of the decimal point.
Step 2. Select location:
Select the place of interest:
  1. Region, Division and State
    - or -
  2. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Regions and Divisions

Regions and Divisions are multi-state groups. For regional data, you can group by Region, or you can select any combination of individual regions. You can also select multi-state divisions or any combination of individual states.
How? Hints:
  • The default is all values (the United States).
  • The Advanced mode let you easily pick several items from different parts of the list. Items are not selected until you click the "Move" button in Advanced mode. You may also enter values by hand, one code per line, in the Advanced mode. Use the Finder to see the correct code format. For example, 02 is the Alaska state code.
  • The "plus" symbol, "+" indicates that you can open the item, to see more items below it.
  • The results to a search are shown in blue, and indicated by ">".
Notes:  
  • Region is based on the person's legal state of residence at the time the case was submitted to the registry.
  • The Regions are identified by both name and codes in data extracts.
  • The United States is split into 4 regions: Northeast, Midwest, South and West. To see the Divisions and States that comprise the regions, send a request for data grouped by Region, Division and State. Choose to "Show Zero Values" in order to also see the names of the states which have been omitted from this data set.

State

Pick the United States or any combination of individual states desired. Be sure the button for State above the list is set to your choice.
How?   See Radio Button to pick your preferred list. See How do I select items from the list box? to select specific options in the list.
Notes:  
  • State and MSA data are based on the patient's residence at the time the case was submitted to the registry. All deaths records in this data set include values for state and for MSA.
  • Note that comparisons of the national death counts and rates with other published reports may differ.
  • The codes and labels for each state shown in separate columns in the data export files. To see the entire list of included states with labels and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code values, group by State and by Year. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are represented for all years.

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Pick "The United States" or any combination of individual MSAs desired. Be sure the button for State above the list is set to your choice.
How?   See Radio Button to pick your preferred list. See How do I select items from the list box? to select specific options in the list.
Metropolitan statistical areas are defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The MSA definitions apply to all areas except the six New England states; for these states, the New England County Metropolitan Areas (NECMAs) are used. Metropolitan areas are named for a central city in the MSA or NECMA, may include several cities and counties, and may cross state boundaries. Further information about MSAs can be found on the U.S. Census Bureau website at www.census.gov; search for "Metropolitan Statistical Area."

Notes:  

  • State and MSA data are based on the patient's residence at the time of death. All deaths records in this data set include values for state and for MSA.
  • Note that comparisons of the national death counts and rates with other published reports may differ.
  • Data for Honolulu, Hawaii in the year 1999 are not specified. Cells representing data for Honolulu, Hawaii in the year 1999 display a "Missing" label.
  • The codes and labels for each state shown in separate columns in data export files. To see the entire list of metropolitan areas with labels and code values, group by MSA and by Year.

Step 3. Select year and demographics :
Limit your data for any of the following data elements:
  1. Year - 1999-2009
  2. Age Group
  3. Race - All, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American, White
  4. Ethnicity - Hispanic, Non-Hispanic, Unknown or Missing
  5. Gender (Sex) - Female, Male

Year

Pick any combination of years desired. Data are available for 1999-2009.
How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.

Age Group

Select All ages or any combination of the individual age groups.

How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.

Notes:

  • Deaths of persons of unknown age are not included in this data set. Death counts, crude death rates and age-adjusted death rates may differ slightly from other reports where deaths of persons of unknown age are included.
  • The following table shows the age group code values and descriptions, as specified for data export.
    Code     Description
    1 < 1 year
    1-4 1-4 years
    5-9 5-9 years
    10-14 10-14 years
    15-19 15-19 years
    20-24 20-24 years
    25-29 25-29 years
    30-34 30-34 years
    35-39 35-39 years
    40-44 40-44 years
    45-49 45-49 years
    50-54 50-54 years
    55-59 55-59 years
    60-64 60-64 years
    65-69 65-69 years
    70-74 70-74 years
    75-79 75-79 years
    80-84 80-84 years
    85+ 85+ years

Sex

Select All or any combination of values.
How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.

Note:

  • About genital system cancers:
    Note that genital system cancers and breast cancers are gender-specific. The rates and population denominators for calculating rates represent the associated gender for the cancer site. Cells representing data for the other gender are labeled "Not Applicable." See About Genital System Cancers for more information.

The following table shows the age group code values and descriptions, as specified for data export.

Code   Description
F Female
M Male

Race

Select All or any combination of values.

How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.
Notes:
  • The "All" races option sums all racial categories included in the data:    "American Indian or Alaska Native," "Asian or Pacific Islander," "Black or African American," and "White."
  • See Confidentiality below to learn more about data suppression for specific race categories.
  • The data are coded to Public Health Information Network (PHIN) standard code values. The following table shows the race code values and descriptions, as specified for data export.
Code   Description
1002-5    American Indian or Alaska Native
A-PI    Asian or Pacific Islander
2054-5    Black or African American
2106-3    White

Ethnicity

Select All or any combination of values.

How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.
Notes:
  • Rates are not calculated for the "Unknown" category because population data are not available. The phrase "Not Applicable" is shown for in the rate and population cells.
  • Ethnicity data are available for the 1999-2006 and later releases of USCS Cancer Mortality, and not available for the preceding vintages.
  • The data are coded to Public Health Information Network (PHIN) standard code values. The following table shows the race code values and descriptions, as specified for data export.
    Code   Description
    2135-2    Hispanic
    2186-5    Non-Hispanic
    UNK    Unknown or Missing


Step 4. Select cancers of interest:
Limit your data for any of the following data elements:
  1. Leading Cancer Sites
  2. Cancer Sites

Cancer Sites

Select either "All Cancer Sites Combined" or "All Cancer Sites," or select any combination of the other values.
How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.
Notes:
  • The primary cancer site is the organ of origin within the body where a given cancer occurs in an individual.
  • About All Sites Combined:
    "All Cancer Sites Combined" are the summary or combined aggregate total for all Cancer sites. The "Show Totals" control on the Table screen is disabled when aggregate values are displayed. Note that pies charts and data distributions in maps are affected by the inclusion of the "All Cancer Sites Combined" aggregate data.
  • About breast and genital system cancers:
    When generating a report by primary site, it is appropriate to either select cases by gender or generate a report by gender. By default this program includes population data for both sexes in the calculations. However, the sex-specific cancers such as prostate, ovary or cervix calculate sex-specific rates, using sex-specific population denominators. Cells representing sex-specific cancer data for the opposite gender are labeled "Not Applicable." Sex-specific cancers include breast cancers and those sites under genital system in the cancer site list

    The Cancer Site gender-specific cancers are:

    Female Genital System [47-53]
        Cervix Uteri [47]
        Corpus Uteri [48]
        Uterus, NOS [49]
        Ovary [50]
        Vagina [51]
        Vulva [52]
        Other Female Genital Organs [53]
    Male Genital System [54-57]
        Prostate [54]
        Testis [55]
        Penis [56]
        Other Male Genital Organs [57]
    Breast cancers:
        Female Breast [46F]
        Male Breast [46M]
        Female Breast, In Situ [92F]
        Male Breast, In Situ [92M]
  • For consistency with the data on cancer incidence, the cancer sites in mortality data were grouped according to the revised SEER recodes dated January 27, 2003 (see SEER Cause of Death Recodes). Because the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses different groupings for some sites, the death rates in this report may differ slightly from those published by NCHS.

The following table shows the Cancer Site code values and descriptions, as specified for data export.

Code    Description
1-10    Oral Cavity and Pharynx [1-10]
1        Lip [1]
2        Tongue [2]
3        Salivary Gland [3]
4        Floor of Mouth [4]
5        Gum and Other Mouth [5]
6        Nasopharynx [6]
7        Tonsil [7]
8        Oropharynx [8]
9        Hypopharynx [9]
10        Other Oral Cavity and Pharynx [10]
11-36    Digestive System [11-36]
11        Esophagus [11]
12        Stomach [12]
13        Small Intestine [13]
15-26        Colon and Rectum [15-26]
15-23           Colon excluding Rectum [15-23]
15              Cecum [15]
16              Appendix [16]
17              Ascending Colon [17]
18              Hepatic Flexure [18]
19              Transverse Colon [19]
20              Splenic Flexure [20]
21              Descending Colon [21]
22              Sigmoid Colon [22]
23              Large Intestine, NOS [23]
25-26           Rectum and Rectosigmoid Junction [25-26]
25              Rectosigmoid Junction [25]
26              Rectum [26]
27        Anus, Anal Canal and Anorectum [27]
29-30        Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct [29-30]
29           Liver [29]
30           Intrahepatic Bile Duct [30]
31        Gallbladder [31]
32        Other Biliary [32]
33        Pancreas [33]
34        Retroperitoneum [34]
35        Peritoneum, Omentum and Mesentery [35]
36        Other Digestive Organs [36]
37-41    Respiratory System [37-41]
37        Nose, Nasal Cavity and Middle Ear [37]
38        Larynx [38]
39        Lung and Bronchus [39]
40        Pleura [40]
41        Trachea, Mediastinum and Other Respiratory Organs [41]
42    Bones and Joints [42]
43    Soft Tissue including Heart [43]
44-45    Skin excluding Basal and Squamous [44-45]
44        Melanoma of the Skin [44]
45        Other Non-Epithelial Skin [45]
46    Breast [46] *
46F        Female Breast [46F] *
46M        Male Breast [46M] *
47-53    Female Genital System [47-53]
47        Cervix Uteri [47]
48        Corpus Uteri [48]
49        Uterus, NOS [49]
50        Ovary [50]
51        Vagina [51]
52        Vulva [52]
53        Other Female Genital Organs [53]
54-57    Male Genital System [54-57]
54        Prostate [54]
55        Testis [55]
56        Penis [56]
57        Other Male Genital Organs [57]
58-61    Urinary System [58-61]
58        Urinary Bladder [58] ¶
59        Kidney and Renal Pelvis [59]
60        Ureter [60]
61        Other Urinary Organs [61]
62    Eye and Orbit [62]
63-64    Brain and Other Nervous System [63-64]
63        Brain [63]
64        Cranial Nerves Other Nervous System [64]
65-66    Endocrine System [65-66]
65        Thyroid [65]
66        Other Endocrine including Thymus [66]
68-72    Lymphomas [68-72]
68-69        Hodgkin lymphoma [68-69]
68           Hodgkin - Nodal [68]
69           Hodgkin - Extranodal [69]
71-72        Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma [71-72]
71           NHL - Nodal [71]
72           NHL - Extranodal [72]
73    Myeloma [73]
74-85,89    Leukemias [74-85,89]
74        Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia [74]
75        Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia [75]
77        Acute Myeloid Leukemia [77]
78        Chronic Myeloid Leukemia [78]
76,80,83,85,89        Other Leukemias [76,80,83,85,89]
76           Other Lymphocytic Leukemia [76]
80           Acute Monocytic Leukemia [80]
83           Other Acute Leukemia [83]
85           Aleukemic, Subleukemic and NOS [85]
89           Other Myeloid/Monocytic Leukemia [89]
87    Mesothelioma [87]
88    Kaposi Sarcoma [88]
86    Miscellaneous [86]
92    In Situ Breast Cancer [92] *
92F       Female Breast, In Situ [92F] *
92M       Male Breast, In Situ [92M] *
     Notes:
*    Data for in situ Breast Cancers are listed separately from Breast Cancers and not included in the "all sites" category. These categories are not included in the 1999-2002 Archive Cancer Incidence data.
   Urinary Bladder includes invasive and in situ.

Leading Cancer Sites (by Race and Sex)

Select either "All Leading Sites Combined" or "All Leading Sites," or select any combination of the other values.
How?   See How do I select items from the list box?.
Notes:
  • This list contains only the top or leading cancer sites, meaning the primary cancers with the highest incidence for each race and sex.
  • The primary cancer site is the organ of origin within the body where a given cancer occurs in an individual.
  • About All Sites Combined:
    "All Leading Sites Combined" are the summary or combined aggregate total for all Cancer sites. The "Show Totals" control on the Table screen is disabled when aggregate values are displayed. Note that pies charts and data distributions in maps are affected by the inclusion of the "All Leading Sites Combined" aggregate data.
  • About gender-specific cancers:
    Note that genital system cancers (Cancer Site codes 47 - 57) are gender-specific, thus rates and population denominators represent the associated gender. Cells representing data for the opposite gender display a "Not Applicable" label. The following genital system cancers are included in the Leading Cancers Sites list:
    Cervix Uteri (Cancer Site code 47)
    Corpus Uteri (Cancer Site code 48)
    Ovary (Cancer Site code 50)
    Prostate (Cancer Site code 54)

The following table shows the Leading Cancer Sites code values and descriptions, as specified for data export.

Code    Description
00    All Sites Combined  *
63-64    Brain and Other Nervous System 
46    Breast  *
47    Cervix Uteri 
15-26    Colon and Rectum 
48    Corpus Uteri 
11    Esophagus 
31    Gallbladder 
59    Kidney and Renal Pelvis 
38    Larynx 
74-89    Leukemias 
29    Liver 
39    Lung and Bronchus 
44    Melanoma of the Skin 
73    Myeloma 
71-72    Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 
1-10    Oral Cavity and Pharynx 
50    Ovary 
33    Pancreas 
54    Prostate 
12    Stomach 
65    Thyroid 
58    Urinary Bladder  ¶
   Notes:
  Urinary Bladder includes invasive and in situ.
*    Data for in situ Breast Cancers are listed separately from Breast Cancers and not included in the "all sites" category.

Step 5. Other options:
Export Results:    If checked, then query results are exported to a local file. More information on how to import this file into other applications can be found here.
Show Totals:    If checked totals and sub-totals will appear in the results table.
Show Zero Values:    If checked, then rows containing zero counts (no deaths) will appear in the results table. If unchecked, zero count rows are suppressed.
Precision:    Select the precision for rate calculations. When the rate calculated for a small numerator (death count) is zero, you may increase the precision to reveal the rate by showing more numbers to the right of the decimal point.
Data Access Timeout:    This value specifies the maximum time to wait for the data access for a query to complete. If the data access takes too long to complete, a message will be displayed and you can increase the timeout or simplify your request. If you can't complete a request using the maximum timeout, contact user support and we will try to run a custom data request for you.
Populations for Age-Adjusted Rates:    Select the standard population used to calculate age-adjusted rates. See Age-Adjusted Rates for more information.

Data Source Information

Data Sources:   

The United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) are the official federal statistics on cancer incidence from registries having high-quality data and cancer mortality statistics for 50 states and the District of Columbia. USCS are produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

Mortality data are produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Vital Statistics System (NVSS).

To learn more about the methods and source of these data please refer to:

Population Denominator Data Sources:    The population estimates for the denominators of mortality rates are race-specific (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American, White) and sex-specific county population estimates aggregated to the state or metropolitan area level. The population estimates are a slight modification of the annual time series of July 1 county population estimates (by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin) produced by the Population Estimates Program of the U.S. Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) with support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) through an interagency agreement.

The 1999 population estimates are consistent with the 1990-1999 are bridged-race intercensal population estimates of the July 1 resident population. The 2000-2009 population estimates are consistent with the Vintage 2009 bridged-race postcensal population estimates of the July 1 resident population, with the exception of year 2005.

In general, July 1 population estimates are used to calculate annual death rates because these estimates are considered to reflect the average population of a defined geographic area for a calendar year. However, the populations of many counties along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas were displaced in the fall of 2005 by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

For the year 2005, the population estimates were adjusted to account for the displacement of people in these states. The national total population estimates are not affected by these adjustments. The 2005 population estimates that were used for mortality data are different from the 2005 population estimates used for incidence data. See USCS Technical Notes for more information.

Note that the national and regional populations in WONDER are based on totals of the state populations. The state, regional and national populations for USCS data in WONDER are consistent with the "SEER*Stat" mortality populations for year 2005 produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). However, the USCS web site has slightly higher national populations for the 2005 national population, due to adjustments for displacement after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These differences (172,679 persons) affect rates calculated for at the national level for year 2005.

For more information on the Census Bureau's population estimates and documentation of the procedures used to develop them, see SEER - US Population Data.

Additional Information

Suggested Data Source Citations:    United States Cancer Mortality Statistics: 1999-2009, WONDER Online Database. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2013.
Contact:    Contact CDC's Cancer Prevention and Control division at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/comments.htm or e-mail CancerInfo@cdc.gov.
Confidentiality:    The following rules are applied in order to protect personal privacy:
  • Death counts and rates are suppressed when the count is less than 16 persons.
  • Data for the "Asian / Pacific Islander" and "American Indian or Alaska Native" race categories are suppressed at the Metropolitan Statistical Area level for populations less than 50,000 persons.
See Also:   



This page last reviewed: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
This information is provided as technical reference material. Please contact us at cwus@cdc.gov.