Home
Major changes were made to the SEER data release and authentication processes starting with the 1975-2017 SEER Data. Read the details on Changes in the April 2020 SEER Data Release.
SEER collects cancer incidence data from population-based cancer registries covering approximately 34.6 percent of the U.S. population. The SEER registries collect data on patient demographics, primary tumor site, tumor morphology, stage at diagnosis, and first course of treatment, and they follow up with patients for vital status.
How to Access SEER Data
SEER releases a standard set of research data every spring based on the previous November’s submission of data from the registries. There are two data products released, the Research and Research Plus:
- The Research databases include the fields and variables SEER has made available to the public with a signed SEER Data-Use Agreement form. For datasets included in the release, see Accessing the Data.
- The Research Plus databases will be made available later this year and will include additional fields not available in the Research data. It will require a more rigorous process for access. See Changes in the April 2020 SEER Data Release for more details.
Number of Records in the SEER Data
The numbers provided in the table below are for the most recent SEER data release and the previous release. Malignant and In Situ cases are defined using the SEER Behavior Recode for Analysis.
| All Cases ** | Malignant Cases | Malignant + In Situ Cases |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-2017 Data (Nov 2019 Submission) | 10,985,942 | 9,885,885 | 10,650,516 |
| 1975-2016 Data (Nov 2018 Submission) | 10,450,709 | 9,428,053 | 10,146,162 |
| Increase from 2018 to 2019 Submission | 535,233 | 457,832 | 486,207 |
| Number of 2017 cases for SEER 18 | 512,101 | 440,933 | 504,354 |
| All Cases ** | Malignant Cases | Malignant + In Situ Cases |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2017 Data (Nov 2019 Submission) | 11,135,914 | 9,822,576 | 10,684,248 |
| 2000-2016 Data (Nov 2018 Submission) | 10,411,062 | 9,201,572 | 10,001,075 |
| Increase from 2018 to 2019 Submission | 724,852 | 621,004 | 683,173 |
| Number of 2017 cases for SEER 21 | 692,802 | 597,583 | 658,631 |
* Registries included in the SEER 18 and SEER 21 data are defined in Registry Groupings in SEER Data and Statistics.
** All Cases includes benign and borderline brain and CNS tumors, cases coded as no longer reportable in ICD-O-3 and as only malignant in ICD-O-3 or 2010+. See SEER Behavior Recode for more information.
Specialized Databases
There are additional fields that SEER collects and makes available through databases that are not part of the standard SEER Research and Research Plus data files. SEER makes these available in specialized databases that can be accessed through the SEER*Stat software with additional approvals.
The specialized databases have not been updated for the most recent SEER data release, which includes data from the November 2019 data submission. We are still accepting requests for the databases from the previous submission. The updated databases will be made available later this year. In addition to the review and approval process, the access will require a more rigorous process for user authentication.
For more information, refer to the list of Specialized Databases.
SEER Database Details
- Data Documentation - Variable definitions and other documentation related to reporting and using SEER and related datasets.
- Number of SEER Participants by Race and Hispanic Ethnicity for the percentage of the U.S. population covered for each registry and registry combinations provided in SEER*Stat.
