Atlas of Cancer Mortality -

Atlas of Cancer Mortality

Materials and Methods -- Sources of Data

Data on all deaths among Americans during 1950-94 with cancer as the underlying cause according to age, sex, and race were provided for the 3,053 contiguous U.S. counties by the National Center for Health Statistics. Annual county-, age-, sex-, and race-specific midyear population estimates based on data from the Bureau of the Census were aggregated over the 25-year period 1970-94 and the 20-year period 1950-69 to form the person-years at risk. Data for the recent time period were produced at the county level for whites and at the state economic area (SEA) level for blacks and whites. The 506 contiguous SEAs are individual counties or groups of counties that are relatively homogeneous with respect to various demographic, economic, and cultural factors; they do not cross state lines. For 1950-69, when detailed county-level population estimates were not available specifically for blacks, maps are produced for whites only. Data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia are presented. Since mortality data were available only at the state level for Alaska and Hawaii, each was considered a single unit for county and SEA purposes, resulting in data for 3,055 counties and 508 SEAs. Data for Alaska and Hawaii are available only beginning in 1959 and 1960, respectively, when they became states. Appendix Map 1 of the United States displays the state, SEA, and county boundaries. Appendix Table 1 lists the state economic areas by state, and Appendix Table 2 lists the counties within state economic areas by state. A total of more than 40 cancers (including all forms combined) were considered, as shown in Appendix Table 3 (which also indicates the sixth to ninth revisions of the International Classification of Diseases^7-10 [ICD] codes used for each form of cancer).

References

7. World Health Organization. Manual of the international statistical classification of diseases, injuries, and causes of death. Vol. 1, 6th rev. Geneva: WHO; 1948.

8. World Health Organization. Manual of the international statistical classification of diseases, injuries, and causes of death. Vol. 1, 7th rev. Geneva: WHO; 1957.

9. Public Health Service. International statistical classification of diseases, adapted for use in the United States. Vol. 1, 8th rev. Washington, DC: U.S. Gov. Printing Office; 1967. PHS Publ. No. 1693.

10. World Health Organization. Manual of the international statistical classification of diseases, injuries, and causes of death. Vol. 1, 9th rev. Geneva: WHO; 1977.

Suggested Citation

Devesa SS, Grauman DG, Blot WJ, Pennello G, Hoover RN, Fraumeni JF Jr. Atlas of cancer mortality in the United States, 1950-94. Washington, DC: US Govt Print Off; 1999 [NIH Publ No. (NIH) 99-4564].