title: Understanding population-based site-specific cancer incidence rates in the USA.
abstract: As compared with conventionally reported national population-based incidence rates, incidence rates better represent the "burden" of disease if they remove prevalent cases from the denominator. In order to reflect the "risk" in a disease-free population, rates should both exclude prevalent cases from the denominator and second or later diagnosed cases at the same site from the numerator. Five common cancers were evaluated through a correction method using 2005-2007 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data to determine the extent of difference between conventional and corrected incidence rates. These corrections lowered the incidence rates 4.0-5.8% for female breast cancer, 4.6-7.6% for melanoma, 3.0-4.0% for colorectal cancer, and 2.1-2.5% for lung and bronchus cancer. Corrected incidence rates for prostate cancer were 9.9-13.7% higher. In cancers with either high prevalence and/or high occurrence of multiple primaries at the same site, corrected population-based incidence rates are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. Ray_Merrill@byu.edu
authors.forename: Ray M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Merrill
authors.forename: Arielle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: Lelinneth B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Novilla
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D018426:SEER Program; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology