Cancer Data

The EPHT Program tracks incidence and mortality data for the following indicators:

• Bladder cancer
• Brain and other nervous system cancer (adult and children)
• Breast cancer (female)
• Leukemia (chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia)
• Leukemia in children (acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia)
• Lung and bronchus cancer
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Thyroid cancer

These indicators provide cancer surveillance data. Cancer surveillance is the most well-established and extensive disease surveillance network in the United States. Centralized cancer registries in the United States conduct population-based surveillance of cancer incidence and mortality. Cancer-incidence data are collected by state health departments, which are funded by the National Program of Cancer Registries and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program. Cancer-mortality data are published by the National Center for Health Statistics. The NH EPHT Program receives cancer data from the NH Cancer Registry.

The following data about these cancers in New Hampshire are available on the Environmental Health Data Integration Network (EHDIN):

• State and county cancer rates by cancer type and gender
• State and county cancer counts by cancer type and gender
• State age-adjusted cancer rates and counts by cancer type, gender and year
• County age-adjusted cancer rates and counts by cancer type, gender and year

The Tracking Network is making cancer incidence data easier to access and use. While cancer incidence data are available on several websites, integrating the information with other health outcome data or environmental data is difficult. Tracking can add to existing public health surveillance of cancer by examining potential ecological relationships with environmental exposures. However, the cancer data do have significant limitations. For example:

• Counts and rates will be calculated based on residence at time of diagnosis. No information is available on previous residences.
• Geocoding accuracy, level, and completeness may vary by time and space. This could create geographically non-random errors in calculated rates of cancer.
• No personal information, including smoking history, diet, lifestyle, or history of cancer, will be available.
• Data that would reveal the identity of any person diagnosed with cancer cannot be released. Suppression rules will govern the release of small case counts.
• No information will be available on the latency of cancer cases.
  

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