ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the data used in computing cancer rates and in analyzing trends, and some of the problems associated with those processes. In 1979, cancer killed more than 400,000 Americans and 765,000 new serious cancers were diagnosed. Cancer has a major impact on the Nation's economy, both from the personal costs of treatment and lost income, and from public expenditures for screening programs, public education, and cancer research. Cancer causation is thought to involve several steps. The simplest multistage process consists of two parts: initiation and promotion. There are three approaches to reduce cancer's impact: prevention, the ultimate goal; earlier detection; and improved treatment. The general consensus that most cancers are caused by extrinsic forces has led to the view that many cancers are preventable. The first major cancer incidence surveys in the United States were the Ten Cities Surveys of 1937 and 1947, and the Iowa study of 1950.
