Illinois Specific Statistics

• Public Data Set
• Other Cancer Reports
• Understanding Statistics

Cancer Incidence Data

Cancer Mortality Data

Public Data Set

Data Use Agreement

By using these data, you signify your agreement to comply with the following statutorily based requirements.

The Illinois Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Act (410 ILCS 525/12) provides data collected by the Illinois State Cancer Registry be made available to the public, however the identification or contact of individuals is prohibited.

In an effort to exclude identifying information on individual patients, the data (e.g. age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, year of diagnosis and type of cancer) have been aggregated into categories within individual records, the number of which depends on the size of the geographic area.

These data are provided as a public service for the purpose of statistical reporting and analysis only. There should be no attempt to learn the identity of any person included in these data. If the identity of any person is discovered inadvertently, no disclosure or other use of the identity will be made.

Uses of these data do not constitute an endorsement of the user's opinion or conclusions by the Department and none should be inferred.

The Illinois public dataset is in ASCII format and contains sanitized individual records of cancer incidence among Illinois residents diagnosed from 1986 through 2021. Separate files are available for the state (IL8621.DAT), county (CNTY8721.DAT), ZIP code areas (ZPCD8721.DAT), and Cook County with Cook suburbs and Chicago (COOK1221.DAT) as well as Chicago Community Areas (CA1221.DAT). Confidentiality is maintained by aggregating data within individual records into categories, the number of which depend on the size of the geographic area.

The state file has single year data for 1986-2021. For the county and ZIP code files, the data are grouped at five year intervals (1987-1991, 1992-1996, 1997-2001, 2002-2006, 2007-2011, 2012-2016, and 2017-2021). For Cook County and Chicago Community Areas there are two five-year groups (2012-2016 and 2017-2021).

The ASCII data files are not incorporated into a software program and therefore require the use of other statistical or database software packages for data analysis (spreadsheet programs such as Excel, Lotus, or QPRO may not work as the number of records in each file is in excess of two million).

The README files provide record layouts, instructions, and general information for each data file, please read them carefully.

The files include incidence data for invasive cancers only with the exception of cancer of the bladder. Carcinoma in situ of the breast is provided in a separate category. Non-melanoma skin cancers, cases reported with unknown or "other" sex, and cases with an unknown age are omitted. There are also Illinois population files included as separate files which are created directly from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Populations Estimates Program (U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program). https://seer.cancer.gov/popdata/download.html

Identification of cancer cases in ISCR is dependent upon reporting by hospitals as mandated by state law. In addition, ISCR has agreements with other central cancer registries in California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota (Mayo Clinic, through October 2005), Missouri, Mississippi (through 2004), North Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming to exchange cancer data. Completeness of out-of-state reporting depends upon the years of operation of these other central registries, the extent of their identification of out-of-state residents, and their standards of quality. Identification of cancer cases and their standards of quality (see Cancer in North America: 2010-2014, Volume Two https://www.naaccr.org/cancer-in-north-america-cina-volumes/).

Please reference the source of data in any published document as follows: Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Cancer Registry, public dataset, 1986-2021, data as of November 2023.

Download the following files to your hard drive. The README files can be opened with Adobe reader. The EXE files are self-inflating and contain the data files.

READMEv31.pdf
IL8621.EXE (8.8 MB)
CNTY8721.EXE (6.6 MB)
ZPCD8721.EXE (14.7 MB)
COOK1221.EXE (0.7 MB)

READMEv31ChicagoCA.pdf
CA1221.EXE(0.4 MB)

READMEv31pops.pdf
POP8621R.EXE
POP9021H.EXE

Other Cancer Reports

Cancer in Illinois 2014 (PDF).Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, November 2014.

A snapshot of cancer in Illinois from the department's Illinois State Cancer Registry featuring the top 10 cancers in men and women from 2011 cancer incidence data, cancer projections for 2015 and a special section on smoking-related cancers.

Tobacco-Related Cancer in Illinois. Epidemiologic Report Series 15:02 (PDF).Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, October 2014.

Report on the impact of tobacco-related cancer in Illinois from 2006-2010 and what is expected in 2014. This report describes each cancer determined to be conclusively linked to tobacco by the 2014 U.S. Surgeon General's report and examines the trend and number of Illinoisans newly diagnosed and deceased, the prognosis associated with each cancer site, as well as which racial-ethnic populations are most affected.

Cancer in Illinois 2013 (PDF). Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, June 2013.

A snapshot of cancer in Illinois from the department's Illinois State Cancer Registry featuring the top 10 cancers in men and women, cancer projections for 2014 and a special section on colorectal cancer.

Cancer in Downstate Illinois, 1990-2009 Incidence, Mortality, Disparities, Care Encounters and Survival. Epidemiologic Report Series 14:02 (PDF). Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, September 2013.

A joint report from the department's Division of Epidemiologic Studies and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Simmons Cancer Institute that presents descriptive data concerning the cancer burden in central and southern Illinois.

Childhood Cancer Incidence in Proximity to Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois. Epidemiologic Report Series 12:05 (PDF). Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, November 2012.

This report was originally published in 2011 in the peer-reviewed journal, Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health, and the electronic version is made available here by permission of the publisher.

This study examined childhood cancer incidence in proximity to nuclear power plants in Illinois using cancer cases diagnosed among Illinois children 0 to 14 years of age from 1986-2005.

Colorectal Cancer in Illinois: An Overview of Key Statistics. Epidemiologic Report Series 11:04 (PDF). Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, June 2011.

A descriptive overview on the incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer occurring among Illinois residents for the time period of 1995 through 2008.

Incidence of Cancer in the Village Of Crestwood, (Cook County) Illinois 1994-2006 (PDF). Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, March 5, 2010.

Crestwood (Cook County) Cancer Assessment – Fact Sheet (PDF). Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, March 5, 2010.

Top 10 Cancers in the State of Illinois (PDF format) Epidemiologic Report Series 10:06. Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, February 2010.

Using cancer incidence and mortality data from 1992 through 2006, this report identifies the top 10 cancers diagnosed and the top 10 cancer causes of death in Illinois, by sex and race/ethnicity.

Invasive Breast Cancer Incidence Among Illinois Women, Temporal Trends 1990 – 2004 (PDF format) Epidemiologic Report Series 08:01. Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Department of Public Health, February 2008.

An examination of temporal trends for breast cancer incidence overall and by age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and urbanity level in Illinois.

Pediatric Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the Vicinity of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois (PDF format) Qiao B, Lehnherr M, Shen T. Pediatric Cancer Incidence in the Vicinity of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois. Epidemiologic Report Series 06:01. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, January 2006.

Pediatric Cancer Incidence and Proximity to Nuclear Facilities in Illinois (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Fall 2000: 1-4.

Study of geographic areas surrounding reactor sites and the effect on the health of infants and children.

Examining Potential Relationships between Cancer Incidence and Ground Water Contamination with Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in Lisle and Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois (PDF format)

Quiao B, Evans L, Shen T.  Examining Potential Relationships between Cancer Incidence and Ground Water Contamination with Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in Lisle and Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois. Epidemiologic Report Series 05:2.  Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, September 2005.

Cancer Incidence in Populations Living Near Chicago O’Hare and Midway Airports, Illinois 1987-1997 - (PDF format) Study and Reference Areas Map - (PDF format) Shen T, Lehnherr M. Cancer Incidence in Populations Living Near Chicago O’Hare and Midway Airports, Illinois. Epidemiologic Report Series 01:6. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, November 2001.

Because of the documented presence of cancer-causing air pollutants from jet engines, cancer concerns exist for populations living near Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports. The concerns, however, are based on projected cancer risks from measured pollutants. This study examined actual cancer incidence observed in communities near the two airports.

Changes in Age-adjusted Cancer Incidence Rates Associated with Age-adjustment Using the 2000 U.S. Population Standard (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Fall 2001:2-4.

Comparisons of Age-adjusted Cancer Incidence Rates

Cancers of the Colon and Rectum, Evidence of Disparities between Blacks and Whites in Illinois (PDF format). Epidemiologic Report Series 00:8. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, December 2000.

An evaluation of colorectal cancer with emphasis on black/white comparisons was conducted using incidence data from the Illinois Department of Public Health's State Cancer Registry for 1986 to 1997 and Illinois mortality data over 1979 to 1998. Cancers of the colon and rectum rank among the top five for incidence and mortality among both blacks and whites in Illinois.

Patterns of Cancer Among Asians and Pacific Islanders in Illinois: Incidence, 1993-1997, Mortality, 1992-1998 (PDF format). Epidemiologic Report Series 00:6. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, September 2000.

A preliminary evaluation of Illinois' cancer incidence for 1993 to 1997 and cancer mortality for 1992 to 1998 was conducted to describe patterns of cancer among Asians and Pacific Islanders residing in the state.

Neuroblastoma Incidence in Illinois: 1986-1997 (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Summer 2000:1-3.

A descriptive analysis of county-level neuroblastoma incidence data.

Early Detection of Breast Cancer in Counties Participating in the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer (IBCCP) Program (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Spring 2000:1-2.

Information regarding the IBCCP and their role in early detection of breast cancer.

Illinois Counties with Need for Cancer Screenings (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Winter 1999: 3-4.

A study in response to the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program's (IBCCP) to provide local providers with information regarding the degree of need in a particular county for breast and cervical cancer screening service.

Highlights from the report on the Status of Cancer in Illinois (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Fall 1999:1-3.

Comparisons of cancer trends for Illinois with those observed for the nation and a comprehensive evaluation of the Illinois data relative to the national reports.

Confidentiality of Public Use Cancer Files (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Spring 1999:1-2.

Report on the confidentiality of the Illinois public use of cancer files.

Indirect Sources of Information on Hispanic Ethnicity to Improve Classification of Illinois Cancer Cases and Deaths (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Fall 1998:1-4.

Use of the census Spanish surname study scheme to evaluate Hispanic identification on the Illinois State Cancer Registry IISCR) database and on Illinois master death files.

Changing cancer mortality in Illinois, 1980-1995 (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Spring 1998.

Several recent studies indicate that the cancer mortality rates in the U.S., after decades of continuous rise, began to decline after 1990. The purpose of this study is to examine whether cancer mortality trends in Illinois are conforming to the national trend and what cancer groups have contributed to the change.

Hispanic identification on Illinois cancer death certificates (PDF format). Epidemiologic Reports Series 98:3 Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, August 1998.

This study of Hispanic identification on Illinois cancer death certificates for 1986 to 1996 was conducted using methods established from a comprehensive Hispanic identification study in the Illinois State Cancer Registry. The purpose was to establish a policy that defines the reporting of Hispanic cancer deaths in Illinois and is consistent with the reporting of Hispanic cancer incidence.

Hispanic Identification in the Illinois State Cancer Registry (part I Narrative; part II Tables) (PDF format). Epidemiologic Reports Series 98:2 Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, June 1998.

This comprehensive study of Hispanic identification in the Illinois State Cancer Registry (ISCR) was conducted for the purpose of establishing a policy that defines the reporting of Hispanic cancer incidence in Illinois.

Mortality patterns among selected Asian Americans in Illinois, 1992-1994 (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Winter 1997:1-3

This study describes the general health risks and mortality patterns among the six largest Asian American subgroups in Illinois.

Thyroid cancer and exposure from nuclear testing fallout in Illinois (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Fall 1997:2.

This article reports the results of an examination of the rates of thyroid cancer in Illinois counties in relation to county estimates of average doses of iodine-131.

Cancer incidence and age at northern migration of African Americans in Illinois, 1986-1991 (PDF format). Epidemiologic Reports Series 97:4 Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, April 1997.

This report compares the proportional cancer incidence of Illinois-born African Americans with those who migrated to Illinois from southern U.S. states as children and adults, and with African-American residents of the South.

A case-control study of multiple myeloma in Decatur, Illinois (PDF format). Epidemiologic Report Series 97:3. Springfield, IL. Illinois Department of Public Health, April 1997.

This report discusses results of the case-control study of multiple myeloma to determine whether cases, who were residents of Decatur, Illinois, were more likely to have worked in an industry or occupation whose exposures are associated with the development of multiple myeloma and whether cases were more likely to have been long-term residents of the city of Decatur, Illinois.

Heat-related mortality in Chicago, Illinois, July 1995 (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Winter 1996:1-3.

This study describes variations in heat-related mortality in July 1995 among the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois.

Neuroblastoma incidence in Illinois: 1986-1994 (PDF format). Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Newsletter (Illinois Department of Public Health), Fall 1996:2-3.

This is a descriptive analysis of county-level neuroblastoma incidence data.

Increased prostate cancer in Illinois: A screening effect or improved casefinding (PDF format). Epidemiologic Report Series 96:4. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, May 1996.

This report was conducted in order to evaluate whether Illinois' lower prostate cancer incidence in 1988-1990 was attributable to incomplete case reporting from three reporting facilities: federal facilities, hospitals with cancer programs and hospitals without cancer programs.

Epidemiology of ovarian cancer in Illinois (PDF format). Epidemiologic Report Series 96:2. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Public Health, February 1996.

The characteristics of Illinois women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are summarized in this report using the Illinois State Cancer Registry public data set from 1987 to 1991.

Understanding Statistics

Glossary of Cancer Statistics - NCI
Defines common statistical terms, NCI terminology, and the five key statistical measures of cancer: incidence, mortality, survival, prevalence, and lifetime risk. NCI monitors these cancer statistics to assess progress and to identify population subgroups and geographic areas in which cancer control efforts need to be concentrated.

Understanding Prognosis and Cancer Statistics - NCI
A fact sheet that describes the importance of prediction of disease outcome and recovery, and how statistics help doctors estimate prognosis.

How Changes in U.S. Census Counts Affect NCI Cancer Rates - NCI
Because NCI cancer rates are calculated by dividing the number of cancer cases (numerator) by a census-generated denominator, the rates can be heavily influenced by changes or uncertainties in census counts.

Methods for Population-Based Cancer Statistics - NCI
The Statistical Research and Applications Branch has developed new statistical methods and associated software tools for the analysis and reporting of cancer statistics.

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