From:  Barbara Bowman, PhD, Acting Director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control,   
           Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
 
Announcement:  Release of United States Cancer Statistics: 2004 Incidence and Mortality report
                                                                                                  
The United States Cancer Statistics (USCS): 2004 Incidence and Mortality report, released on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, marks the sixth time that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have jointly produced official federal cancer incidence statistics for each state having high-quality cancer data. The report is produced in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

This year's report features information on more than one million cases of cancer diagnosed in 2004 among residents of 49 states, 6 metropolitan areas, and the District of Columbia -- geographic areas in which about 98% of the U.S. population reside. Incidence data are from CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.  Data from population-based central cancer registries in these states and metropolitan areas meet the selected criteria for inclusion in this report. 

The report also provides cancer mortality data collected and processed by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Mortality statistics, based on records of deaths that occurred during 2004, are available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Other features of this year's USCS report include expanded information on malignant and non-malignant brain tumors. 

The USCS: 2004 Incidence and Mortality report exemplifies the progress achieved in creating a national system of cancer surveillance. We especially want to acknowledge the continued efforts and commitment of local and state cancer registries to providing high-quality cancer incidence data. Regional and state level data can be used to plan and evaluate cancer control programs, conduct research, and monitor cancer trends. National partner organizations are also crucial to the success of cancer surveillance in the United States. This publication, and many advances in cancer surveillance in the United States, would not have been possible without the tireless efforts and many achievements of these organizations.  The USCS publication, as well as companion materials based on the report data, is available online (http://www.cdc.gov/uscs). 

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