Patricia M. Jamison

Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975–2001, with a special feature regarding survival

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) collaborate annually to provide updated information regarding cancer occurrence and trends in the U.S. This years report features a special section on cancer survival.

Building the infrastructure for nationwide cancer surveillance and control--a comparison between the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (United States).

Objective: In preparation for jointly publishing official government cancer statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) compared incidence rates from NCIs Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program and CDCs National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR). Methods: Data for 1999 covering 78% of the US population were obtained from SEER and selected NPCR registries that met high quality data criteria. incidence rates (per 100,000 population) were age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population, and 95% gamma confidence intervals were estimated Results: NPCR rates for all sites combined were higher than SEER rates (males: NPCR 553.6, SEER 538.7; females: NPCR 420.8, SEER 412.5), but rates for specific cancer sites varied by registry program. Rates for colon cancer (males: NPCR 47.0, SEER 42.7; females: NPCR 36.5, SEER 33.8) and tobacco-related cancers were higher in NPCR than SEER. In contrast, NPCR rates were lower than SEER rates for cancers of the female breaset (NPCR 134.0, SEER 135.9), prostate (NPCR 162.0, SEER 170.2), and melanoma as well as for cancers more common among Asians and Pacific Islanders (e.g., stomach cancer).Conclusions: Rate differences may arise from population difference in socio-demographic characteristics, screening use, health behaviors, exposure to cancer causing agents or registry operations factors.

Cancer in Appalachia, 2001–2003

Researchers have not been able to examine cancer incidence rates in Appalachia because high‐quality data have not been uniformly available across the region. This study is the first to report cancer incidence rates for a large proportion of the Appalachian population and describe the differences in incidence rates between Northern, Central, and Southern Appalachia.

Colorectal cancer in U.S. adults younger than 50 years of age, 1998-2001.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates are increasing among persons younger than 50 years of age, a population routinely not screened unless an individual has a high risk of CRC. This population‐based study focuses primarily on describing the CRC burden for persons in this age group.

Trends in Endometrial Cancer Incidence by Race and Histology with a Correction for the Prevalence of Hysterectomy, SEER 1992 to 2008

Background: Incidence rates of endometrial cancer are routinely calculated without removing women who have had a hysterectomy from the denominator, which leads to an underestimate. Furthermore, as the number of women who have had a hysterectomy (hysterectomy prevalence) varies by race, the estimate of racial difference in endometrial cancer incidence is incorrect. Methods: Data from 1992 to 2008 from the SEER Program were used to calculate incidence rates of endometrial cancer (corpus uterus and uterus, NOS) for 67,588 women 50 years and older. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to estimate hysterectomy prevalence. SEER area populations were reduced by hysterectomy prevalence, and corrected incidence rates were calculated. Results: For women 50 years and older, the corrected incidence rate of endometrial cancer was 136.0 per 100,000 among whites and 115.5 among blacks, a 73% and 90% increase respectively compared with the uncorrected rate. The increase was greater for black women because hysterectomy prevalence was higher among black women (47%) than white women (41%). The corrected incidence among black women significantly increased 3.1% per year compared with a 0.8% significant decrease among white women resulting in higher rates among black women toward the end of the study period. Conclusion: Correcting the incidence rate for hysterectomy prevalence provides more accurate estimates of endometrial cancer risk over time. Impact: Comparisons of rates of endometrial cancer among racial groups may be misleading in the absence of denominator correction for hysterectomy prevalence. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(2); 233–41. ©2012 AACR.

Reporting cutaneous melanoma to cancer registries in the United States

BACKGROUND Central cancer registries provide data to monitor incidence rates of cutaneous melanoma. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the completeness of melanoma reporting in the United States. METHODS Data provided by central cancer registries were used to calculate age-adjusted, average annual incidence rates and were compared by time period (1992-1994, 1995-1997), stage, and program (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results [SEER] and National Program of Cancer Registries [NPCR]). Completeness was measured with incidence/mortality ratio. RESULTS Incidence rates among whites for 1995-1997 from SEER registries ranged from 11.8 to 33.9 per 100,000 population; 18 of 40 NPCR registries were within this range. For 1992-1994, 8 of 30 NPCR registries were within the range of SEER incidence rates. NPCR registry incidence rates were generally higher for 1995-1997 than 1992-1994. The percentage of cases of localized melanoma did not increase substantially in most SEER registries over the study period, but some NPCR registries had substantial increases. Among NPCR registries that had incidence rates comparable with those of SEER in 1995-1997, the incidence/mortality ratios were generally lower among NPCR registries than SEER registries. CONCLUSION Although melanoma incidence rates are generally increasing, part of the increases in incidence rates reported by NPCR registries over the study time period are likely due to increased case ascertainment and reporting.

Implementation of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

In 1990, Congress passed the Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act because of increases in the number of low‐income and uninsured women being diagnosed with breast cancer. This act authorized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) to provide high‐quality and timely breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to low‐income, uninsured women. The program started in 1991, and, in 1993, Congress amended the act to allow the CDC to fund American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and tribal organizations. By 1996, the program was providing cancer screening across the United States. To ensure appropriate delivery and monitoring of services, the program adopted detailed policies on program management, evidence‐based guidelines for clinical services, a systematized clinical data system to track service quality, and key partnerships that expand the programs reach. The NBCCEDP currently funds 67 programs, including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 5 US territories, and 11 tribes or tribal organizations. Cancer 2014;120(16 suppl):2540‐8. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Mississippi Delta Women

The purpose of the study was to determine breast and cervical cancer screening among women living in the Mississippi Delta region. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 1999-2000, we determined the prevalence of mammography (women 40 years and older, n = 6,028) and Pap testing (women 18 years and older, n = 6,502) within the past 2 or 3 years, respectively. We examined predictors of testing and compared results with those for women living elsewhere in the United States. Among Delta women, 69.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 67.9% to 70.9%) had a mammogram and 85.5% (95% CI 84.3% to 86.6%) a Pap test. Mammography prevalence was lower among black and white Delta women than among black and white women elsewhere. Pap testing was lower among older (65 years and older) Delta women or women who did not visit a doctor within the past year than among their counterparts elsewhere. Additional interventions are needed to meet the goals of Healthy People 2010 for all women.

Site-specific factors for cancer of the corpus uteri from SEER registries: Collaborative stage data collection system, version 1 and version 2

Uterine cancer is the fourth leading cancer among US women. Changes in uterine cancer staging were made from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 6th to 7th edition staging manuals, and 8 site‐specific factors (SSFs) and 3 histologic schemas were introduced. Carcinomas account for 95% of cases and are the focus of this report.