Uses For Report Data

Data from the United States Cancer Statistics Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report provide a basis for research, cancer control planning, health communications, and policy development efforts. Below are examples that illustrate these potential data uses—

• Describing the variability in cancer incidence and death rates across different populations and identifying patterns.
• Determining differences in the cancer burden in similar states or regions to guide planning efforts for cancer control programs. (Refer to Guidance for Comparing States’ Cancer Data.)
• Identifying populations at risk for certain cancers and developing effective, evidence-based cancer prevention and control activities for these groups based on identifying populations at risk for certain cancers.
• Helping design, implement, and expand comprehensive cancer control efforts.
• Providing information for a national database of cancer incidence and mortality data that can be used in conducting data linkages and designing special studies.
• Responding to community and media inquiries about cancer incidence and cancer mortality.
• Developing Web-based resources to help state health departments plan effective cancer prevention and control activities (for example, Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T.).
• Developing culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate materials to communicate with diverse racial and ethnic audiences.
• Developing guidelines, policy, or legislation to strengthen or enhance cancer control efforts.
• Conducting special studies to advance clinical, epidemiologic, and health services research.
• Providing information to help state registries improve the quality and usefulness of their data and to link with other databases.
• Setting priorities for allocating health resources.

Refer to Technical Notes—Interpreting the Data.