Which statement about SEER is accurate?

• A. SEER is the only comprehensive source of population-based data in the United States that includes stage at diagnosis and survival rates by stage.
• B. SEER excludes stage at diagnosis.
• C. Public-use data are not accessible to researchers.
• D. SEER does not provide survival data.

Answer: (A)

SEER provides population-based cancer data across the United States and is known for linking stage at diagnosis with survival information by stage. This means researchers can see not only how many people are diagnosed at each cancer stage, but also how survival differs by those stages, which is a unique and powerful combination among population-based data sources. Public-use data from SEER are accessible to researchers through SEER*Stat and related tools, so the idea that such data aren’t accessible isn’t accurate. SEER also includes survival data, including stage-specific survival, so the claim that it doesn’t provide survival information is incorrect. And SEER does record stage at diagnosis rather than excluding it. Taken together, SEER’s inclusion of both stage at diagnosis and survival by stage makes the statement describing it as the comprehensive source accurate.