Atlas of Cancer Mortality
Introduction
The study of geographic variation in cancer rates has provided
important clues to the role of lifestyle and other environmental
factors that affect cancer risk. Earlier atlases of cancer mortality
in the United States1-4
prepared by the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) revealed substantial geographic fluctuations in rates from
1950 to 1980 in the white and nonwhite populations, pointing to
high-risk areas for epidemiologic studies designed to identify
carcinogenic exposures.5,6
This Atlas updates the maps through
1994, presenting for the first time data specifically for blacks.
The main focus will be the recent geographic patterns for 1970-94,
but we also present maps for 1950-69 prepared in a similar fashion
for purposes of comparison. The geographic patterns of cancer
displayed in this Atlas should help to target further epidemiologic
investigations into the causes of cancer and to set priorities for
public health activities aimed at cancer prevention and control.
Two Web sites are available to further enhance evaluation of data
illustrated in the Atlas:
Static Web Site: This Web site contains the entire text of
the Atlas, as well as the maps for both time periods (1950-69 and
1970-94), tables, and figures. Maps at the state level, which are
not included in the Atlas, are also available at this Web site. All
data used to generate the county, state economic area, and state
maps are housed at this site as well. Data, text, maps, tables, and
figures can be downloaded. The Table of Contents is hyperlinked to
the various sections of the Atlas, and references in the text are
hyperlinked to the individual citations in the References section of
the Atlas. The discussion about any specific cancer and the
associated maps are interlinked.
Dynamic Web Site: This Web site enables the user to view
the maps for both time periods, as well as for the entire period,
1950-94. The user can control certain parameters such as number of
ranges and colors. Also available is the option to view maps using
percentiles based on one of the two time periods versus the entire
time period. The user can select (from a drop-down menu) a specific
state, state economic area, or county and view a map of the specific
geographic unit and a table displaying the mortality rate and number
of deaths for the selected unit, as well as the larger areas in
which it is contained. Zooming in and out, and panning around the
map, are additional options available at this Web site.
| References |
|---|
| 1. |
Mason TJ, McKay FW, Hoover R, Blot WJ, Fraumeni JF Jr. Atlas of cancer mortality for U.S. counties: 1950-1969. Washington, DC: U.S. Gov. Printing Office; 1975. DHEW Publ. No. (NIH) 75-780.
|
| 2. |
Mason TJ, McKay FW, Hoover R, Blot WJ, Fraumeni JF Jr. Atlas of cancer mortality among U.S. nonwhites: 1950-1969. Washington, DC: U.S. Gov. Printing Office; 1976. DHEW Publ. No. (NIH) 76-1204.
|
| 3. |
Pickle LW, Mason TJ, Howard N, Hoover R, Fraumeni JF Jr. Atlas of U.S. cancer mortality among whites: 1950-1980. Washington, DC: U.S. Gov. Printing Office; 1987. DHHS Publ. No. (NIH) 87-2900.
|
| 4. |
Pickle LW, Mason TJ, Howard N, Hoover R, Fraumeni JF Jr. Atlas of U.S. cancer mortality among nonwhites: 1950-1980. Washington, DC: U.S. Gov. Printing Office; 1990. DHHS Publ. No. (NIH) 90-1582.
|
| 5. |
Blot WJ, Fraumeni JF Jr. Geographic epidemiology of cancer in the United States. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF Jr, editors. Cancer epidemiology and prevention. New York: W.B. Saunders; 1982. p. 179-93.
|
| 6. |
Fraumeni JF Jr. Etiologic insights from cancer mapping. In: Miller RW, Watanabe S, Fraumeni JF Jr, et al., editors. Unusual occurrences as clues to cancer etiology. Tokyo: Japan Sci Soc Press; 1988. p. 13-25.
|
Suggested Citation
Devesa SS, Grauman DG, Blot WJ, Pennello G, Hoover RN, Fraumeni JF Jr. Atlas of cancer
mortality in the United States, 1950-94. Washington, DC: US Govt Print Off; 1999 [NIH Publ No.
(NIH) 99-4564].
|