Resources and Tools

• Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns

• Investigating Cancer Clusters and Unusual Patterns of Cancer: Challenges and Limitations [PDF – 573 KB]
• Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR): A Math-based Approach to Evaluating Unusual Patterns of Cancer [PDF – 426 KB]

• Cancer Inquiry Intake Form – The Cancer Inquiry Intake Form is designed to assist State, Tribal, Local, or Territorial (STLT) health departments in collecting standardized information regarding an inquiry about unusual patterns of cancer and environmental concerns, as described in the CDC/ATSDR’s “Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns”. If you would like to access the form, database templates, and instructions, please email CCGuidelines@cdc.gov.

• Decision Making Form [PDF – 185 KB] – Use this form as a decision-making tool for determining whether to continue assessing a report of an unusual pattern of cancer.

• National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network Data Explorer: Cancer Data
• EPA My Environment site
• United States Cancer Statistics: Data Visualizations

• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication manual
• Community Stress Resource Center
• Community Engagement Playbook

• The American Cancer Society
  Provides information on cancer (including cancer clusters), research, and services.
• CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
  Provides calculation and analysis of cancer incidence rates upon special request.
• The National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  Conducts extensive cancer research activities and provides educational materials for the public.

• National Cancer Institutes’ (NCI) Cancer Cluster Website
  Provides general background information on cancer clusters and the available resources related to investigating or researching incidence of cancer. NCI provides specific information on their role in conducting routine surveillance studies of cancer incidence. NCI analyzes variations in cancer trends, including the frequency, distribution, and patterns of cancer in groups of people. These analyses may reveal patterns of cancer in specific populations and identify changes that may warrant investigation. In addition, NCI provides resources that allow users to visualize cancer trends by geographic location.
  • NCI Cancer Atlas allows users to create maps of cancer statistics, demographics, and risk factors.
  • The joint NCI-CDC State Cancer Profiles website provides interactive maps to visualize cancer statistics by states and counties.
• The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
  Provides information about environment-related diseases and health risks, such as electromagnetic fields and cancer.
  • Report on Carcinogens
    Produced by NIEHS every other year, this report contains an extensive list of chemicals that cause cancer as well as many other toxicology reports
• CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  Provides information about exposures in the workplace known or suspected to cause cancer. NIOSH also responds to requests from employers, union representatives, or employees to evaluate potentially hazardous working conditions, including concerns about cancer.

CDC/ATSDR provides technical assistance to state health departments regarding unusual patterns of cancer by request. If you work for a state health department and have questions about CDC guidelines or need technical assistance regarding an unusual pattern of cancer, please contact CCGuidelines@cdc.gov.