Resources and Tools

At a glance

View resources and tools to assist health departments in responding to unusual patterns of cancer and environmental concerns.

Stack of papers on a desk next to a pair of glasses.

Guidelines

Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns

CDC/ATSDR guidelines to help health departments as they investigate unusual patterns of cancer in their communities.

Fact sheets

Addressing Health Equity and Environmental Justice in the Evaluation of Unusual Patterns of Cancer

The purpose of this fact sheet is to educate state and local partners and community members on key terminology, definitions, and provide outside resources related to health equity, environmental justice, and cancer disparities.

Investigating Cancer Clusters and Unusual Patterns of Cancer: Challenges and Limitations

This document contains answers to frequently asked questions about community-level investigations of unusual patterns of cancer.

Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR)

This document contains answers to frequently asked questions about the standardized incidence ratio, which is one of the methods used to evaluate unusual patterns of cancer.

Forms

Cancer Inquiry Intake Form

This form is designed to assist state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments collect standardized information on inquiries about unusual patterns of cancer and environmental concerns, as described in the CDC/ATSDR’s Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns.

If you would like to access the form, database templates, and instructions, please email CCGuidelines@cdc.gov.

Decision Making Form

This form can be used as a decision-making tool to determine whether to continue assessing a report of an unusual pattern of cancer and/or environmental concerns.

General cancer resources

The American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society website provides information on cancer, cancer clusters, research, and services.

CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control provides calculation and analysis of cancer incidence rates upon special request.

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NCI conducts extensive cancer research activities. They also provide educational materials for the public.

Information on cancer and environmental exposures

National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Cancer Cluster Website

Provides general background information on cancer clusters and the available resources related to investigating or researching incidence of cancer. NCI provides specific information on their role in conducting routine surveillance studies of cancer incidence. NCI analyzes variations in cancer trends, including the frequency, distribution, and patterns of cancer in groups of people. These analyses may reveal patterns of cancer in specific populations and identify changes that may warrant investigation. In addition, NCI provides resources that allow users to visualize cancer trends by geographic location.

  • NCI Cancer Atlas allows users to create maps of cancer statistics, demographics, and risk factors.
  • The joint NCI-CDC State Cancer Profiles website provides interactive maps to visualize cancer statistics by states and counties.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Provides information about environment-related diseases and health risks, such as electromagnetic fields and cancer. The Report on Carcinogens is produced by NIEHS every other year. This report contains an extensive list of chemicals that cause cancer as well as many other toxicology reports.

CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Provides information about exposures in the workplace known or suspected to cause cancer. NIOSH also responds to requests from employers, union representatives, or employees to evaluate potentially hazardous working conditions, including concerns about cancer.

Technical assistance

CDC/ATSDR provides technical assistance to state health departments regarding unusual patterns of cancer by request.

If you work for a state health department and have questions about the guidelines or need assistance, please contact CCGuidelines@cdc.gov.