Term | Definition |
A |
| APC | Annual Percent Change used to measure trend or the change in rate over time |
| age-adjusted rate | an age-adjusted incidence or mortality rate is a weighted average of the age-specific incidence or mortality rates where the weights are the proportions of persons in the corresponding age groups of a standard million population. Age adjustment minimizes the effect of a difference in age distributions when comparing rates. For State Cancer Profiles, all incidence and mortality rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard million population to facilitate comparison of rates across geographic areas and demographic groups. |
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B |
| Brain & ONS | ONS stands for Other Nervous System. We combine brain and other nervous system together as one cancer site grouping - Brain and ONS. This includes two groupings: Brain and Cranial Nerves Other Nervous System. |
| body mass index (BMI) | a measure of body fat based upon height and weight. The index applies to both men and women. |
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C |
| colonoscopy | An examination of the inside of the colon using a thin, lighted tube (called a colonoscope) inserted into the rectum. If abnormal areas are seen, tissue can be removed and examined under a microscope to determine whether disease is present. |
| colorectal | Having to do with the colon or the rectum. |
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D |
| death rate | deaths per year per 100,000 persons |
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F |
| fecal occult blood test | A screening test for cancers of the colon or rectum that checks for blood in stool. (Fecal refers to stool; occult means hidden.) |
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H |
| Healthy People 2010 | the prevention agenda for the Nation. It is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats. |
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I |
| incidence rate | the number of newly diagnosed cancers per year per 100,000 persons. |
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J |
| Joinpoint | statistical software for the analysis of trends using a joinpoint regression model, that is, models describe the trends by a sequence of connected straight line segments. |
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L |
| Lifetime Risk | the probability of developing or dying of cancer. |
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M |
| mammography | The use of x-rays to create a picture of the breast. |
| mortality | death |
| mortality rate | the number of deaths per year per 100,000 persons |
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N |
| National Cancer Institute | NCI. The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research. |
| National Program of Cancer Registries | NPCR. Congress established The National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) in 1992 by enacting the Cancer Registries Amendment Act. |
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O |
| Brain & ONS | ONS stands for Other Nervous System. We combine brain and other nervous system together as one cancer site grouping - Brain and ONS. This includes two groupings: Brain and Cranial Nerves Other Nervous System. |
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P |
| Pap smear | The collection of cells from the cervix for examination under a microscope. It is used to detect changes that may be cancer or may lead to cancer, and can show noncancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation. Also called a Pap test. |
| Prevalence | The number of new and pre-existing cases alive on a certain date |
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R |
| rate | cases or deaths per 100,000 persons |
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S |
| SEER | Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results is a collection of population-based cancer registries in the United States which collect and submit cancer incidence and follow up data to the National Cancer Institute. The National Cancer Act of 1971 mandated the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data useful in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer leading to the establishment of the SEER Program. |
| SEER 12 | The reporting areas included as "SEER 12" are the SEER 9 areas plus Los Angeles, San Jose-Monterey, and the Alaska Native Registry with data available since 1992. |
| SEER 9 | The reporting areas included as "SEER 9" are the States of Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico, and Utah and four metropolitan areas -- Detroit, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, San Francisco-Oakland, California, and Seattle-Puget Sound, Washington. Data from these areas are used to calculate long-term incidence trends and survival. |
| SEER registries | geographic areas were selected for inclusion in the SEER Program based on their ability to operate and maintain a high quality population-based cancer reporting system and for their epidemiologically significant population subgroups |
| SEER*Stat | software used with the SEER public-use file over the Internet or as a PC desktop system for production of a myriad of cancer statistics, such as incidence rates and survival rates, for various demographic and medical input variables. |
| Sigmoidoscopy | inspection of the lower colon using a thin, lighted tube called a sigmoidoscope. Samples of tissue or cells may be collected for examination under a microscope. Also called proctosigmoidoscopy. |
| Survival | the proportion of patients alive at some point subsequent to the diagnosis of their cancer |
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T |
| trend | change in rate over time expressed as an annual percent change |
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U |
| United States | depending on the data source, the US can be either the total US or a subsection of the US based upon the SEER Registries |
| United States (SEER) | a subsection of the US based upon the SEER Registries. SEER 9 represents approximately 10% of the US population and SEER 12 represents approximately 12% of the US population. |
| United States (SEER+NPCR) | a subsection of the US represented by population-based central cancer registries that met the selected criteria for inclusion in the publication United States Cancer Statistics: 1999 Incidence. Approximately 78% of the U.S. population resided in areas represented by the cancer registries included in the report. |
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