The disease burden of invasive cancers, all sites combined, is high. The selected individual cancer sites are expected to account for 66 percent of all new invasive cancers in 1998, or 806,300 new cases. More data are needed on the effectiveness of current interventions for cancers of the prostate and bladder and for melanoma.
Resources are available for surveillance of cancer incidence and mortality.
State health departments recognize the need for cancer surveillance, and many state cancer registries have been in place for years. In the past, however, funding was often problematic. Additionally, most participating states continue their pre-grant level of funding and provide new matching funds in the ratio of one state dollar for every three federal dollars provided. One state receives funds from both NPCR and the SEER program, and only one state receives no federal funds for cancer surveillance. Today, as a result of significant state contributions and the recent boost provided by increased Federal funds, virtually all states have a cancer registry that is statewide and population-based.