Analyses Checklist

Multi-year analyses

The database includes variables that can be used to restrict analyses to the states meeting U.S. Cancer Statistics publication criteria during the most commonly analyzed multi-year time periods, specifically:

• USCS0323: Data from 2003 to 2023, when all registries met publication criteria every year, resulting in 100% population coverage.
• USCS0123: All years of data in the database (2001 to 2023), restricted to the registries that met publication criteria every year, resulting in 99.1% population coverage.
• USCS1423: Data from 2014 to 2023 (the most recent 10 years of data), with 100% population coverage.
• USCS1923: Data from 2019 to 2023 (the most recent 5 years of data), with 100% population coverage.

If you are conducting a multi-year analysis and want to restrict it to the states that met publication criteria during each of the years, did you use variable USCS0123, USCS0323, USCS1423, or USCS1923 and also use the Year of Diagnosis variable on the SEER*Stat Selection page?

• This is important for trend analyses so the same states are included for each year.
• The Year of Diagnosis variable is used in combination with the predefined USCS variable to exclude the non-relevant years. For example, if USCS1923 is used, then Year of Diagnosis should also be restricted to diagnosis years 2019–2023 on the SEER*Stat Selection page.
• If you would like to analyze a range of years other than those predefined variables, please contact CDC at uscsdata@cdc.gov and we will create a new variable for you.

Single-year analyses

If you are analyzing just 1 year of data, did you use the variable USCS Standard and restrict the analysis to the specific Year of Diagnosis on the SEER*Stat Selection page?

Common selection and reporting considerations

State-level race, ethnicity, or race and ethnicity combinations

If you are reporting state-level race, ethnicity, or race and ethnicity combinations, have you suppressed data from the registries that opted out of reporting these data items? Race and ethnicity combinations can be excluded using the State Race Ethnicity Suppress variable. Race-only or ethnicity-only suppressions should be done manually on the SEER*Stat Selection page.

User-defined primary site variable

If a user-defined primary site variable was created (rather than using the Site recode ICD-O-3/WHO 2008 variable):

• Did you exclude leukemias and lymphomas (9590–9992)?
• Did you consider excluding Kaposi sarcoma (9140) and mesothelioma (9050–9055)?

For more information, see the Primary Site Variables description.

Histology

If your analysis includes histology, and if appropriate for the cancer site, did you use the Diagnostic Confirmation variable to specify the analysis be limited to microscopically confirmed cases?

Sex-specific cancers

If you are analyzing sex-specific cancers such as prostate cancer or female breast cancer, did you limit the analysis to the appropriate sex to get the correct population denominator?

Rates

When reporting rates, have you included the label "per 100,000 persons," "per 100,000 women," or "per 100,000 men"?

Citations

Have you included citations for the:

• Percentage of United States population coverage provided by the database?
• U.S. Cancer Statistics 2001–2023 Public Use Database?