Cancer Epidemiology

Abstract

Overview This article gives a straightforward introduction to cancer epidemiology and is organized as follows. We first provide US data on cancer cases, deaths, and survival. These data, typically derived from national registries and surveys from scientific organizations devoted to the cause, for example, surveillance by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), form the basis for policies centered around cancer control. We then discuss epidemiological methods the practicing oncologist may encounter in research or literature, followed by a tour of common (e.g., tobacco) and emerging (e.g., energy balance) causes of cancer. We follow this by describing molecular epidemiology, a subfield rejuvenated by molecular technologies to inform components of environmental factors and risks associated with the host, such as genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and the microbiome. Finally, we discuss future directions, the potential and current importance of epidemiology.