--------------- SEER*Stat 6.4.4 --------------- The SEER*Stat statistical software provides a convenient, intuitive mechanism for the analysis of SEER and other cancer-related databases. It is a powerful PC tool to view individual cancer records and to produce the statistics listed below. These statistics are useful when studying the impact of cancer on a population. Frequency and Rate Statistics - Frequencies - Row and column percentages - Crude (non-adjusted) rates with standard errors and confidence intervals - Age-adjusted rates with standard errors and confidence intervals - Incidence-based mortality rates - Rate ratios for significance testing Trends Over Time (based on frequencies and rates) - Percent changes (PC) - Annual percent changes (APC) with confidence intervals - Comparison of APCs with zero - Comparison of two APCs with one another Survival Statistics - Observed survival - Net survival (absence of other causes of death) - Relative survival - Cause-specific survival - Crude probability of death (presence of other causes of death) - Using expected survival - Using cause of death - Option to adjust for heterogeneity in withdrawal when using expected survival - Comparison of two survival curves (Z-statistic) - Conditional survival - a survival rate conditioned on having survived x years (for example, a 10-year rate for individuals having already survived 5 years) - Actuarial and Kaplan-Meier methods - Period survival for all survival session methods Limited-Duration Prevalence Statistics - Prevalence counts - Crude (non-adjusted) percents - Age-adjusted percents - Profile survival for limited-duration prevalence (future) Multiple Primary - Standardized Incidence Ratio Statistics Comparison of cancer incidence in a defined cohort of persons previously diagnosed with cancer to cancer incidence in the general population. In other words, The MP-SIR session allows you to define a cohort of people based on first cancer diagnosis (exposure) and to follow them through time to compare their subsequent cancer experience (observed events) to population based expected values. Case Listings - The values stored in the database for individual records are presented in a table. - You choose the variables displayed and select the records to be included in the table. -------- FEATURES -------- - Easy to use interface - Comprehensive help system - Ability to select/exclude cases using multiple primary criteria (i.e., SEER*Stat realizes a person can have more than one tumor) - Handles complex selection/subset statements with support for full Boolean logic - Multi-dimensional matrices for reporting results - Support for copying and pasting cancer records and statistics into spreadsheet or charting/graphing packages - Ability to export records and statistics to a generic data file for input by other statistical systems such as SAS - Print preview --------------------------- CLIENT-SERVER CONFIGURATION --------------------------- With this configuration, all data are stored in a centralized location at the SEER Program and calculations are performed on SEER's dedicated hardware. If you utilize this mechanism, you do not need to maintain the SEER data on your local computer system. Each time you execute an analysis, the parameters of your request will be transferred over the Internet from your computer to the SEER*Stat server. Once the calculations are complete, the results will be transferred back to your computer. A high speed Internet connection is required for this configuration. ------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------------- - Pentium-based PC - 32-bit Microsoft Windows (95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, etc.) - 800 x 600 or greater monitor resolution - Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0+ for viewing help - 32 MBs application RAM - Approximately 6 MBs disk space - High speed Internet connection (not a dial-up modem based) if using the client-server configuration ------------ INSTALLATION ------------ To install from the SEER Public-Use CD #1: - Insert the CD into the drive - From the Start menu, choose Run...; type [cd-drive]:\setup.exe - Follow the instructions on your screen To install using the installation program from the Internet: - Download the installation program from http://seer.cancer.gov/seerstat/software - Within Windows, double-click on the downloaded file - Follow the instructions on your screen Unless the data location is changed from the default with the File, Preferences... dialog, the CD must be located in the drive or you must have an account within the client-server configuration to execute SEER*Stat. -------------------------------- LOCAL AREA NETWORK INSTALLATIONS -------------------------------- A single copy of the SEER*Stat executable and data can be placed on a network for multiple persons to utilize. This configuration is highly recommended because updates to SEER*Stat can be performed on the single network installation instead of modifying each user's desktop PC. Copy the contents of the [cd-drive]:\bin directory (seerstat.exe and seerstat.chm) from the CD to a location on the network accessible by all users. Suppose this location is called "\\fileserv1\SEERStat". Then copy the [cd-drive]:\data directory and all its sub-directories from the CD to this location. This will yield a directory on your network called "\\fileserv1\SEERStat\data". On each user's desktop PC, create a Windows shortcut to "\\fileserv1\SEERStat\seerstat.exe". The first time each user executes SEER*Stat, it will display the default Primary Data Location (PDL) and the default User-Defined Variables Location (UVL). The default PDL is "\\fileserv1\SEERStat\data". The UVL varies by the version of Microsoft Windows. If a network installation is configured, use must be confined to persons that have completed the SEER Public-Use Data Agreement. If others wish to make use of the system, each must complete the SEER Program's Public-Use Data Agreement available on the SEER Web page at the following address. http://seer.cancer.gov/dataagreements/seer.pdf ------------------------------- REMOVING PREVIOUS INSTALLATIONS ------------------------------- Existing versions of SEER*Stat do not need to be removed from your system prior to installing this newer version. This version may NOT allow you to analyze data contained on CDs earlier than SEER*Stat 6.3.6. If you need to analyze data from earlier CDs, you may not want to overwrite an earlier installation with this version. If you wish to completely remove an earlier version prior to installing this current version, use the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Windows Control Panel. ---------------- REVISION HISTORY ---------------- 4/24/2008 - Version 6.4.4 - Bug fixes. 1. In a survival matrix, if changes were made on the matrix options dialog, there was a memory overwrite which often caused SEER*Stat to shutdown and generate an error message. 2. When opening a saved session (including retrieving one from a matrix) and access to the original database is no longer available, the database selection dialog is displayed. Selecting a new database on this dialog did not reset database specific parameters as is done when a user changes the database on the data tab. This has been changed to function like a database change on the data tab. 4/14/2008 - Version 6.4.3 - Production release of 6.4 features. 4/10/2008 - Version 6.4.1-beta - minor fixes 3/31/2008 - Version 6.4.0-beta 1. Bug fix for MP-SIR. The incorrect behavior is that all potential events in the rate file count as observed events, but the expected are calculated correctly (only for those selected), when the following options are chosen. - single outcome - exit on any event in the rate file - uncheck some of the events - don't include the selected event variable in the table 2. For MP-SIR, changed the CI default from approximate to exact. 3. For MP-SIR, changed the default exit point for single outcome analysis from exit on selected events to exit on any event in the rate file. 4. For MP-SIR, added a checkbox for exiting at next malignant tumor which is on by default. 5. SEER*Stat will now calculate an age-adjusted rate when there is a crude age-specific cell with non-zero cases and zero population. 6. SEER*Stat now allows you to calculate period estimates for multiple user-specified years in the same session. Previously it only did the latest possible year. 9/25/2007 - Version 6.3.6 1. Exclude certain variables from case listings with the NoCaseList key in the database.ini. 2. Added descriptions to user-defined variables. 3. Only allow user information to be modified if user is logged in. 4. Fixed page length limit for printing the survival exclusions page. This would hang the print request. 5. No survival Z-test without standard life or relative rate pages. 6. If no referent rates available, allow user to re-create rates from the session. 7. Expected rates in survival are only presented when the base fields match. 8. Added a prompt in the search dialog when there are selected lines and the user tries to paste. 9. Merged variables are now permitted in the selection dialog. They are converted, like user-defined variables, to underlying statements when the OK button is pressed. 10. Negative operators/prefixes are now allowed in merged variables. 11. Added a new line button on the selection dialog 12. SAS code now has lrecl= on the infile statement. 4/12/2007 - Version 6.3.5 - Production release of 6.3 features. 4/5/2007 - Version 6.3.4 - release candidate 3/19/2007 - Version 6.3.3-beta - minor fixes 2/12/2007 - Version 6.3.2-beta - minor fixes 1/23/2007 - Version 6.3.1-beta - minor fixes 1/18/2007 - Version 6.3.0-beta 1. Allow multiple data locations instead of a primary and secondary data location. 2. Changed survival matrix options so that standard errors are handled as a group instead of individual flags for each statistic. This is the same for confidence intervals. 3. Added special selection check boxes for "Malignant Only", "Known Age", "Male/Female Sex" and "Cases in Limited-Use Database" to all session types. 4. The ability to specify categories for use with user-defined variables. 5. Find variable dialog changed to multi-column in order to show matches found in the format separate from those found in the names. 6. Allow import variable definitions from another database to the current database. 7. MP-SIR rates tab: the user can see invalid rate-bases with the reason why they are invalid. 8. MP-SIR rates tab: allow the use of available rate values for cohort values not in rates. 9. Rate session: Tiwari method for confidence intervals. 10. Frequency or rate matrix export: added feature to preserve matrix columns and rename variables. 11. Survival statistic tab: missing/unknown CODs are included as dead broken out between specified cause and other causes. 8/31/2006 - Version 6.2.4 1. There was an error in the prevalence session if you made a selection using a linked variable (a county attribute). This was only a problem in the selections (not the table or cohort tabs). It gave an error and didn't complete; there were no incorrect calculations. 2. A fix to survival for excluding cases with unknown COD. SEER*Stat was excluding even when the death was after study cut-off. Since SEER's COD variables use study cut-off date, most analyses on SEER's data would be fine. But if the user changed the study cut-off date, or analyzed a user created database without recoding the deaths after study cut-off to alive, this would affect the results. 3. A fix to survival for handling unknown/missing CODs in crude probability of death analyses. There are three options: exclude, include as dead, include as censored. The include as censored option was incorrectly including cases as dead due to other causes. This has been changed to include these as lost to follow-up. We're planning to add a fourth option to allow the user to include them as dead due to other causes in a future release. 4. Matrix export allows the creation of SAS code. 5. Performance enhancements in the dictionary editor for the State-county variable. 6. The MP-SIR session now supports databases with different variable for start and event dates. Previous versions only supported date of cancer diagnosis for both of these dates. 4/5/2006 - Version 6.2.3 - Fix a problem which caused an MP-SIR session to close if the first database listed didn't have referent rates. 3/29/2006 - Version 6.2.2 1. Change to selection dialog to not accept some invalid characters. 2. Change to not allow matrix save, print, options, etc. if while the matrix is open, it changes on disk. The change could be by another person or by the same person having multiple copies open. 3. Reload primary and secondary database.ini files in more situations. 4. Fix to present database citation and database message if a user-supplied database is listed first. 1/19/2006 - Version 6.2.1 - Set maximum p-value of rate ratios to 1.0 and other minor fixes. 11/22/2005 - Version 6.2.0-beta 1. More graceful handling of lost network connectivity. 2. Go to page number in print preview. 3. Support for large fonts. 4. Password can optionally be remembered. 5. Ability to display a login message obtained from the server. 6. A Primary Data Location (PDL) is no longer required. 7. The PDL and Secondary Data Location (SDL) can be interchanged. 8. Faster loading of sessions when executing in local mode. 9. Referent rates are downloaded separate and thus less often from the other database materials. 10. Client-server menu items are more prominent. 11. New preferences dialog to more clearly distinguish between local and client-server mode, and to more clearly distinguish the port for client-server mode. 12. Faster writing and exporting a matrix to a network location. 13. New database.ini options for disabling the case listing functionality in Survival and MP-SIR sessions. 14. Improved Data tab in order to more easily distinguish which databases have linked (SES) data. 4/14/2005 - Version 6.1.4 - More minor improvements and revised help. Disabled profile survival method for limited-duration prevalence. 4/1/2005 - Version 6.1.3-beta - More minor interface and output improvements. 3/24/2005 - Version 6.1.2-beta - Minor interface and output improvements. New help system. 3/17/2005 - Version 6.1.1-beta - Updates to median survival, standard errors, and the Z-test for Kaplan-Meier survival. Minor interface fixes. 3/10/2005 - Version 6.1.0-beta 1. Prevalence and rate sessions - statistics can be hidden based on population size (existing feature based on count remains). 2. Prevalence, rate, and frequency sessions - when statistics are hidden based on counts, there is no suppression for 0, only if > 0 and less than the specified number. 3. MP-SIR session - exact CIs (existing approximate CIs remain). 4. Rate ratios for significance testing in the rate session. 5. Profile survival method for limited-duration prevalence. 6. Survival session: a. Kaplan-Meier survival (actuarial is still the default) b. New defaults: - 1 month intervals - number of intervals changed from 5 to 60 (still 5 years) - cumulative summary tables on - standard life tables off c. Option to include a "0th interval" d. Special intervals (conditional survival) can be included in cumulative summary tables e. Special intervals (conditional survival) are available for all cumulative statistics f. Matrix options dialog allows hiding statistics in cumulative summary tables g. Dimension of variables can be specified in the cumulative summary tables h. New dialog for defining intervals of cumulative summary tables i. Moved the display section from the output tab to the parameters tab j. Period survival for all survival session methods. 7. Save session as an "ini" text file. 8. Improvements to print preview that make it easier to navigate to the beginning, end, or specified page of a document. 10/18/2004 - Version 5.3.1 1. Fixed error in prevalence session when selecting on age at prevalence. This error was introduced in version 5.3.0. This does not affect analyses with age at prevalence in the table definition. 2. Fixed error in prevalence session survival calculations when the survival cohort variables do not include values for all records included in an analysis. 8/16/2004 - Version 5.3.0 1. Ability for a single server to handle both encrypted and non-encrypted communications. 2. Session printout as text. 3. Survival now defaults to displaying percents. 4. Merged variables now store numeric variable values in the session and user-defined format libraries in addition to labels. 5. New help system. 6. Prevalence can now be calculated by months prior instead of only supporting years. 7. Blanks are now removed from MP-SIR parameters before verifying. 8. Fixes for related variables in MP-SIR and person selection features of other sessions. 9. Exclude population defining variables that can change for a person (e.g. county) from use in defining referent rates. Also exclude related variables based on these variables. 10. Always check user-defined variables in search statements on database change. 11. Session printout now has title. 12. Fixed problem in survival matrix export when multiple page types are present. Specifically, some export dialog options were not used correctly for all page types. 4/12/2004 - Version 5.2.2 - Minor fixes to client-server communications. 4/8/2004 - Version 5.2.1-beta - Corrected a problem with status updates in client-server mode for the prevalence session, and a printing problem for databases without a suggested citation if working client-server mode and the local database cache is not available. 4/6/2004 - Version 5.2.0-beta - Encrypted communications between the client and server. 1/15/2004 - Version 5.1.14 - Minor fixes to MP-SIR. 1/13/2004 - Version 5.1.13 - Addition of the Select Only Malignant Behavior check box to the frequency, rate, and case listing sessions. Minor bug fixes and additional options for ssexport under UNIX. 1/7/2004 - Version 5.1.12 - Within MP-SIR, the computations of both "Mean Date of Exposure" and "Mean Date of Event" were updated to correct a problem of these dates being exactly one year early. 12/19/2003 - Version 5.1.11-beta - Minor fixes. 12/17/2003 - Version 5.1.10-beta - First public release. 12/15/2003 - Version 5.1.9-beta - Updates to MP-SIR and help. 12/5/2003 - Version 5.1.8-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 12/2/2003 - Version 5.1.7-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 12/1/2003 - Version 5.1.6-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 11/24/2003 - Version 5.1.5-beta - Updates to MP-SIR and help. 11/21/2003 - Version 5.1.4-beta - Updates to MP-SIR and help. 11/20/2003 - Version 5.1.3-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 11/18/2003 - Version 5.1.2-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 11/12/2003 - Version 5.1.1-beta - Feature complete version of MP-SIR and new selection dialog. 9/16/2003 - Version 5.1.0-beta - Nearing a feature complete version of MP-SIR. 9/16/2003 - Version 5.0.20 - Client now attempts a connection to PDL seerstat.imsweb.com if seerstat.cancer.gov fails. 8/21/2003 - Version 5.0.19 - Modified selection dialog to allow work with both continuous and discrete values of a variable. 7/21/2003 - Version 5.0.18 - Several minor updates to wording and presentation to make things clearer and cleaner in the interface and help system. Added functionality post a variable specific warning dialog. Several other minor updates to functionality. 4/25/2003 - Version 5.0.17 - Updates to code associated with the standard population control on the statistic tab of the rate and prevalence sessions. 4/23/2003 - Version 5.0.16 - Updates to help. 4/15/2003 - Version 5.0.15 - Updates to help. 4/11/2003 - Version 5.0.14-beta - Updates to prevalence and inclusion of new help. 4/4/2003 - Version 5.0.13-beta - Updates to prevalence and MP-SIR. 3/26/2003 - Version 5.0.12-beta - Inclusion of suggested citations. 3/24/2003 - Version 5.0.11-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 3/20/2003 - Version 5.0.10-beta - Updates to prevalence and MP-SIR. 3/17/2003 - Version 5.0.9-beta - Updates to prevalence and MP-SIR. 3/12/2003 - Version 5.0.8-beta - Updates to prevalence and MP-SIR. 2/21/2003 - Version 5.0.7-beta - Wider release of the beta product. 2/19/2003 - Version 5.0.6-beta - Minor fixes. 2/14/2003 - Version 5.0.5-beta - Updates to prevalence and MP-SIR. 2/5/2003 - Version 5.0.4-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 2/3/2003 - Version 5.0.3-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 1/31/2003 - Version 5.0.2-beta - Updates to MP-SIR. 1/28/2003 - Version 5.0.1-beta - Updates to prevalence and MP-SIR. 1/3/2003 - Version 5.0.0-beta - Initial release with prevalence and MP-SIR. 10/29/2002 - Version 4.2.7 - Minor fixes to the following. 1. When merged variable base names exceeded 200 characters. 2. Divide by zero situation in the calculation of APCs. 3. Export dictionary when variables were reordered in the matrix. 6/6/2002 - Version 4.2.6 - Performance enhancements to the relational model that gracefully merges socio-economic data with the cases and populations for the generation of rates. 5/20/2002 - Version 4.2.4 - Minor fixes and the ability to disable trends in the frequency session. Also, the ability to independently specify whether a database should be presented in a frequency and/or rate session. 4/3/2002 - Version 4.2.3 - Minor fixes. 3/21/2002 - Version 4.2.2-Beta - Minor fixes and the auto-update feature. 3/7/2002 - Version 4.2.1-Beta 1. Relational model to gracefully merge socio-economic data with the cases and populations for the generation of rates. 2. New client-server security model that uses groups to maintain user permissions. 3. Checksum of user's local cache prior to client-server execution. 4. Redesign of communication protocol for canceling a client-server analysis. 5. Improvements to find variable functionality. 6. Functionality to search for a value in a case listing matrix. 7. Certain dialogs are now sizeable. 8. Use of new common file dialog in Windows 2000 and XP. 9. Ability to specify a path for storing temporary files. 10. Printing enhancements. 11. Ability to cancel a database change. 12. "Tree view" on frequency and rate table tab. 13. User generated standard populations and expected rates are uploaded to the server for temporary use during calculations. 14. If a database doesn't exist on session open, the user can now specify which database should be utilized (or attempted). 11/4/2001 - Version 4.1.4 - Set AA rates to default statistic in rate session; minor bug fixes when switching between databases with different age variables and standard populations; functionality to specify default for PC end points in the database.ini. 10/16/2001 - Version 4.1.3 - Several bug fixes including a correction to problems with exporting a case listing matrix. Added support to allow use of standard populations with other than 18 age groups. SEER*Prep 1.8+ is a requirement if processing user-supplied standard populations. 6/28/2001 - Version 4.1.2-Beta - Corrected problem with ZD sorting. 6/12/2001 - Version 4.1.1-Beta - Corrected problem of frequencies being three times too large for population only databases. 5/24/2001 - Version 4.1.0-Beta - Split of the frequency/rate session into two separate entities. 4/2/2001 - Version 4.0.9 - Bug fix for ZD sort not initializing cache size properly. 3/30/2001 - Version 4.0.8 - Bug fixes. 3/29/2001 - Version 4.0.7 - Bug fixes. 3/28/2001 - Version 4.0.6 - UNIX matherr handler. 3/27/2001 - Version 4.0.5 - Bug fixes. 3/26/2001 - Version 4.0.4 - Bug fixes. 3/19/2001 - Version 4.0.3 - Bug fixes. 2/22/2001 - Version 4.0.2-beta - Generalization of variables included in the expected rate tables to support SEER*Prep 2.0, bug fixes, numerous minor enhancements, the ability mask out specified values of the COD variables when they are displayed in the controls for cause-specific survival, and the ability to filter statistics with a decimal point in the case listing matrix. 1/8/2001 - Version 4.0.1-beta - HTML help, bug fixes, and numerous minor enhancements. 10/10/2000 - Version 4.0.0-beta - Multiple primary selection features in freq/rate and case listing, cause specific survival, weighted least squares estimates for APCs, PCs with single year end-points, case listing output from survival including the cumulative expected rate, printing enhancements, and general interface refinements. 2/16/2001 - Version 3.0.11 - ZD bug fix for checking set size needed for compatibility with SEER*Prep 1.5+. 9/13/2000 - Version 3.0.10 - Support for MinimumVersion= key in the database.ini. 8/28/2000 - Version 3.0.9 - Use of ZD's operator precedence, support for ICD-10 as a continuous variable, fixes to merged variables when based on a user-defined, and other bug fixes. 3/27/2000 - Version 3.0.8 - Minor bug fixes over first release candidate. 3/23/2000 - Version 3.0.7 - First release candidate of "Version 3.0". 3/3/2000 - Version 3.0.5-beta - Export enhancements, conversion of the export dictionary to an ".ini file", and support for user-supplied standard millions. 2/10/2000 - Version 3.0.0-beta - Initial release of the case listing session, enhancements to merged variables, adjustments for heterogeneity in withdrawal (Hakulinen adjustments) for relative survival, and an option for user-defined variable definitions in the session printout. 11/17/1999 - Version 2.1.5 - Fixes for icon problems noticeable in earlier versions of 2.1. Fixes for problems downloading the database files file from the server under Windows 9x. 10/22/1999 - Version 2.1.4 - Fix to allow merged variables based on non-indexed variables. 10/6/1999 - Version 2.1.3 - Minor bug fixes and further performance improvements for subsetting non-indexed variables. 9/16/1999 - Version 2.1.2-beta - Improved performance for subsetting on non-indexed variables. 9/14/1999 - Version 2.1.1-beta - Version checking between the client and server, support for user-supplied expected rates, import/export of user-defined variables, support for the Census tract variable, the ability to hide PCs and APCs independently, and support for session printouts that exceed one piece of paper. 7/16/1999 - Version 2.1 (Beta 2) - Client-server, hyperlinks in variable descriptions, and minimize on modal status dialog. 7/7/1999 - Version 2.1 (Beta 1) - Borland C++ Builder 4 and variable merging. Beginnings of Hakulinen adjustments and crude survival. 3/30/1999 - Version 2.0 - Minor fixes over Beta 1. 1/22/1999 - Version 2.0 (Beta 1) - General interface refinements and minor fixes. Tighter integration with SEER*Prep. Migration to Borland C++ Builder. Refinements to allow easier maintenance of network installations. Compilation of calculation module under Solaris. August 1998 submission of SEER, 1973-1996 diagnoses. 7/21/1998 - Version 1.1.2 - Bug fix in subset for "short" variables with values exceeding 32k. Needed for State/county variable. 7/9/1998 - Version 1.1.1 - Support for multiple types of summary files. That is, different variables in each type. 8/11/1998 - Version 1.1a - Functionality to support 1991 Canadian standard millions. 4/3/1998 - Version 1.1 - General interface refinements and minor fixes. August 1997 submission of SEER, 1973-1995 diagnoses. 10/15/1997 - Version 1.0 - Printing and footnote enhancements. Help system and general interface refinements. August 1996 submission of SEER, 1973-1994 diagnoses. 8/13/1997 - Version 1.0 (Beta 2) - Survival calculations and enhancements to incidence calculations. User-defined variables are "memory based" by default and optionally saved to disk. August 1996 submission of SEER, 1973-1994 diagnoses. 3/7/1997 - Beta Version 1.0 - Initial release including incidence calculations. February 1996 submission of SEER, 1973-1993 diagnoses. ----------------- TECHNICAL SUPPORT ----------------- Email: seerstat@imsweb.com Web: www.seer.cancer.gov/seerstat