NCI and CDC to Collaborate on Gathering Cancer Statistics

BETHESDA, Md—Officials of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have signed a formal agreement to develop what NCI calls “a comprehensive, federally integrated cancer surveillance and cancer control research system.” The two agencies will pool and jointly release their data on cancer incidence and mortality, as well as coordinate various aspects of cancer registry management, including training and methodology development.

Both agencies will also continue to expand and strengthen their separate cancer registry operations: NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program now includes five states and five metropolitan areas, 10 rural counties in Georgia, and selected groups of Native Americans and Alaska natives. The CDC supports cancer registries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and three US territories.