Cancer Metadata: All Measures

Origin:

Cancer case data are from the Maine Cancer Registry, Maine CDC. Population data are from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Dates Available:

2000 - 2018

Geographic Resolution:

State, County

Abstract:

The Maine EPHT program receives cancer data annually from the Maine Cancer Registry. Adult and childhood cancer rates among Maine residents are analyzed, stratified by year, geographic resolution, gender and sex, when appropriate.

The dataset contains rates, age-adjusted rates, and numbers for the following cancers:

1. Bladder cancer
2. Brain and other nervous system cancers
3. Breast cancer
4. Esophageal cancer
5. Kidney cancer
6. Laryngeal cancer
7. Leukemia, all types
8. Leukemia, acute myeloid
9. Leukemia, chronic lymphocytic
10. Liver and bile duct cancers
11. Lung and bronchus cancers
12. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
13. Melanoma
14. Mesothelioma
15. Oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers
16. Pancreatic cancer
17. Thyroid cancer
18. Childhood cancer, brain and other nervous system
19. Childhood cancer, leukemia, all types
20. Childhood cancer, leukemia, acute lymphocytic

Purpose:

This data set supports efforts to improve public health in Maine and contributes to the U.S. CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network. A key activity of participants in this network is to track and make available environmental health measures on state and national data portals. Measures derived from the data set described here can be used to compare adult and childhood cancer rates across the state, between groups of people, and over time.

The Maine Tracking Network, a member of the National EPHT Network, connects communities, public health professionals, policy makers, state agencies, and others to the data they need to monitor public health, respond to health concerns, prioritize resources for public health action, and evaluate prevention activities. Maine tracks certain health effects, exposures, and environmental hazards that have known relationships, as well as some health effects and environmental hazards that have suspected relationships. By making health and environmental data available through the Maine Tracking Network, more people have access to data they need to think critically and hypothesize about health outcomes and their relationships to conditions in the environment.

Supplemental Information:

The Maine EPHT program used data from the most recent National Program of Cancer Registry's (NPCR) 24-month annual call for data file from the Maine Cancer Registry (MCR), Maine CDC. The NPCR annual call data are loaded into Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Stat software where data are analyzed using Seer Site Recode as the basis for analysis. Further information on the Maine Cancer Registry is located at: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/public-health-systems/data-research/vital-records/mcr/. Information on Seer is located at: http://seer.cancer.gov/. Data have been suppressed in accordance with MCR policy.

Analyses are based on an individual’s place of residence at the time of diagnosis. Additional, topic-specific considerations include the following.

  • Melanoma: Only melanomas of the skin are included in the measure

Entity and Attribute Overview:

The dataset includes: year, geographic resolution, measure, and sex and age when appropriate.

Data Limitations:

 

  • No information on cancer latency (time between the start of the disease and the disease diagnosis) is available, an important consideration for environmental linkages.
  • Location is based on the place of residence at the time of diagnosis. Neither the amount of time an individual lived at the place of residence nor any prior residential addresses, are available.
  • No personal exposure or risk factor information, including smoking history, diet, lifestyle, or family history of cancer is available, which may be important when trying to determine the underlying case of a cancer case.
  • Data presented on the Maine EPHT portal may differ from data presented on other state or national cancer data displays. The differences may occur for reasons including when data are updated, as cancer cases are reported continuously upon diagnosis.

Access Constraints:

Publicly available data are suppressed in accordance with the privacy policies of the Maine CDC and the Maine Cancer Registry, in order to protect confidentiality.

More Information:

Suggested Citation for Data Displays:

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine Tracking Network. Cancer Metadata: all types. Available online: https://data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/. Accessed on [date accessed].