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JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2002 94(10):709; doi:10.1093/jnci/94.10.709
© 2002 by Oxford University Press
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Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 94, No. 10, 709, May 15, 2002
© 2002 Oxford University Press

NEWS

Common Terms Used In Cancer Statistics

 •  Population: The total number of persons in a given geographic area or country; also, the total number of units (hospitals, records, etc.) that can be used to draw a sample, which can be used to represent the whole population.

 •  Population Dynamic: A term used to reflect changes in the way a population is structured. For example, this can reflect changes in age (e.g., people living longer over time), race, and ethnicity.

 •  Standard Population: A given population in which the numerical distribution by age and sex has been determined or estimated.

 •  Standardization: A technique used to account for the effects of independent factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, etc., which can influence incidence, prevalence, and mortality. It involves a set of methods that are used to minimize or eliminate (to the extent possible) the effect of age and/or other factors when comparing two populations. The two most common standardization approaches are direct and indirect.

 •  Rates: A way to measure and express the frequency with which an event or phenomenon occurs in a given population defined by time, geography, or by behavioral or socioeconomic factors. Rate is calculated by dividing the number of times an event occurs in a population during a specific time period by average population during that same period.

 •  Age-Standardized or Age-Adjusted Rates: Used when comparing populations. It is a method to more accurately calculate rates by accounting for the effects that the distribution of age has in a population.

 •  Age-Specific Rates: A rate calculated for a specific age group. For example, it can be the number of deaths in a specific age group over a specified period of time and area divided by the total average population of this age group in the same area at the midpoint of the same time period.

    –Summarized and compiled from John M. Last’s A Dictionary of Epidemiology.


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This Article
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