How to Use CDC’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans Search Tool

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CDC’s Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC) Plans Search tool searches the entire contents of CCC plans for words or phrases you select, shows the results in a list with the search word or phrase highlighted, and allows you to open each plan and see the pages that contain your search term.

Starting the Search

  1. Type a word or phrase in the Search Keywords field.
  2. Select the search method. You can search for words or phrases in four ways—
    • Exact phrase. Shows plans that contain exactly what you typed in the Search Keywords field.
      Example: If your keywords are “HPV vaccine,” the tool shows plans that contain the exact phrase “HPV vaccine,” but not plans that contain similar phrases like “HPV vaccination.”
    • All of these words. Shows plans that contain all of the words you typed in the Search Keywords field.
      Example: If your keywords are “side effects,” the tool shows plans that contain both the words “side” and “effects,” but not necessarily the phrase “side effects.”
    • Any of these words. Shows plans that contain any of the words you typed in the Search Keywords field.
      Example: If your keywords are “radon mitigation,” the tool shows plans that contain either the word “radon” or “mitigation,” but not necessarily the phrase “radon mitigation.”
    • Spelled similar to these words. Shows plans that contain any word that is the same as, or similar to, any of the words you typed in the Search Keywords field.
      Example: If your keyword is “survivor,” the tool shows plans that contain words like “survivor,” “survivors,” and “survivorship.”
  3. Click Search.
    Result:     Your search results are shown in a list on the page.

Viewing the List of Search Results

You can change the way in which the search results are shown in three ways—

  • Number of results per page. You can show 10, 30, 50, or 70 results per page by selecting the desired number from the drop-down list and clicking Go. If you choose a number that is larger than the total number of results, you will see all of the search results on one page. For example, if 42 plans match your search and you select 50 results per page, you will see all of the search results.
  • Pagination. If you have more than one page of search results, you will see the number of results shown on the current page, the total number of results, and links to navigate to the previous and next pages. For example, “<<Prev   31 – 40 of 64   Next >>” means results 31–40 are shown on the current page, a total of 64 plans match your search, and you can click “<<Prev” to see the previous page of results or “Next>>” to see the next page of results.
  • Sort order. You can sort the results in ascending or descending order by keyword frequency (also called relevance) or plan title. The plans are initially sorted in descending order by keyword frequency, with the plans that contain your search terms most often shown at the top.
  • To sort the results in ascending order by keyword frequency, with the plans that contain your search terms least often shown at the top, click Keyword Frequency at the top of the list.
  • To sort the results in alphabetical (A–Z) order by plan title, click Plan at the top of the list. To sort the results in reverse alphabetical (Z–A) order by plan title, click Plan again.

The list of search results has three columns—

  • Keyword Frequency. Shows the keywords you typed in the Search Keywords field, and the number of matches found in the plan. For example, if your keywords are “Pap test” and you searched for any of these words, the results show the number of times the word “Pap” is found in a plan (“Pap, 2” means the word “Pap” is found twice in the plan) and the number of times the word “test” is found in a plan (“test, 63” means the word “test” is found 63 times in the plan).
  • Plan. The first line of this result shows the plan title followed by the file size and format. The second line shows excerpts from the plan with your keywords in bold font. For example,
    New York State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, 2018-2023 [PDF – 1.81 MB]
    …as colonoscopy for colorectal cancer and Pap smears for cervical cancer, can also …
    …on family history or a genetic test will benefit from tailored advice about …
    The plan title is “New York State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, 2018-2023,” which is a 1.81 megabyte file in Adobe® Acrobat® portable document format (PDF). Excerpts from the plan containing the keywords “pap” and “test” are shown in bold.
  • Keywords Found. This column contains a link to open the plan. Click View Details to open the plan with the search keywords highlighted.

Refining Your Search Results

To Get Fewer Results

If your search found too many plans, you can get more specific results in the following ways—

  • Search for a phrase instead of a word. For example, if you’re looking for plans that include smoking cessation interventions, the phrase “smoking cessation” would yield more meaningful results than the keyword “smoking” alone.
  • Search for all words instead of any word. For example, if you’re looking for plans that include referrals for genetic counseling, searching for all of the keywords “genetic counseling” provides more specific results than searching for any keyword.

To Get More Results

If your search found too few plans, you can get more results in the following ways—

  • Search for words instead of a phrase. For example, if you’re looking for plans that include different colorectal cancer screening tests, searching for all of the words “colonoscopy FOBT” may provide better results than the phrase “colorectal cancer screening test.”
  • Search for any word instead of all words. For example, if you’re looking for plans that include exposure to UV rays, searching for any of the keywords “ultraviolet radiation” provides more results than searching for all keywords.
  • Search for words that are spelled similar to a keyword. For example, searching for words spelled similar to “mammogram” provides plans that include the words “mammogram,” “mammograms,” and “mammography.”

Limitations of the CCC Plans Search Tool

If a keyword is not found in a particular plan, that does not necessarily mean that the program is not engaged in activities related to the keyword. The program may not mention these activities in its plan, or it may use different words to describe the activities. For example, if a particular plan is not found when you search for “smoking cessation,” the program may refer to this activity as “tobacco control” or “quitting smoking.” Use a variety of keywords to ensure you find all of the plans that include topics you’re interested in.