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Patterns of Care (POC) Studies
Background
The Patterns of Care (POC) initiative has three inter-related goals, which are to:
- Evaluate the dissemination of state-of-the-art cancer therapy and diagnostics into community oncology practice,
- Identify patient-, provider-, and system-level factors that are associated with receipt and utilization of cancer care; and
- Disseminate findings through scientific publications and presentations.
POC studies began in 1987 with SEER
cases serving as controls for a study that examined the provision of state-of-the-art therapy in Community Clinical Oncology Program hospitals. POC data have enabled investigators to examine disparities in receipt of cancer therapies, diagnostic tests, and biomarkers by age, race/ethnicity, and residential urbanicity/rurality. They also have been used to show trends in cancer therapy and survival over time for sites with multi-year data.
POC data are collected under a Congressional Mandate to NCI (Public Law 100-607, Sec. 413 (a)(2)(C) adopted November 4, 1988), and the project is coordinated jointly by the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis.
Cancers Covered by POC
POC studies have been conducted for a sample of patients with the following cancers:
View the accessible version of this table.
| Cancer site * | Year of Diagnosis |
|---|---|
| Breast Cancer | |
| AYA breast cancer | 2013 |
| Early stage breast cancer | 1987-1991, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 |
| In situ breast cancer | 1991, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 |
| Late stage breast cancer | 2012 |
| Male Breast Cancer | 2003-2004 |
| Node negative, ER positive Breast Cancer | 2004 |
| Childhood cancers | |
| Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) | 1996 |
| Acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) | 1996 |
| Brain stem cancer | 1997 |
| Ewing's sarcoma | 1996, 2006, 2013 |
| Hodgkin's Lymphoma | 1996 |
| Neuroblastoma | 2010-2011 |
| Osteosarcoma | 1996, 2006, 2013 |
| Colorectal cancer | |
| Stage II and III | 1987-1991, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 |
| Advanced stage | 2014 |
| Gastric cancer | 2001 |
| Gastrointestinal stromal cancer (GIST) | 2008 |
| Germ cell cancer - AYA | 2006 |
| Head and neck cancers | 1997, 2004, 2009, 2016 |
| Hepatocellular cancer | 2007, 2012 |
| Kidney cancer | 2004, 2009, 2019 |
| Leukemia | |
| Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) - AYA | 2006 |
| Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) | 2007 |
| Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) | 1998, 2008, 2014 |
| Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) | 2003, 2012 |
| Lung cancer | |
| Mesothelioma | 2011 |
| Non-small cell lung cancer | 1996, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Small cell lung cancer | 2007 |
| Lymphoma | |
| B-cell lymphoma | 2003 |
| Hodgkin's Lymphoma - AYA | 2006, 2013 |
| Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - all adults | 1999, 2008 |
| Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - AYA | 2006, 2013 |
| Melanoma of the skin | 1995, 1996, 2001, 2011, 2018 |
| Multiple myeloma | 1999, 2003, 2007, 2014 |
| Neurologic cancers | |
| Astrocytoma | 2011 |
| Glioblastoma | 2006 |
| Oligodendroglioma | 2011 |
| Ovarian cancer | 1991, 1996, 2002, 2011 |
| Pancreas cancer | 1998, 2009, 2016 |
| Prostate cancer | 1998, 2002, 2008 |
| Sarcoma | |
| All types - all adults | 2013 |
| All types - AYA | 2006 |
| Soft tissue | 2002 |
| Testicular cancer | 1999 |
| Thyroid cancer | 2006 |
| Urinary bladder cancer | 1995, 2003, 2009, 2019 |
| Uterine cancer | |
| Uterine cervix cancer | 1997, 2000, 2001 |
| Uterine corpus cancer | 1998, 2016 |
| Vulvar cancer | 1999 |
*Adults, age 20+, unless otherwise indicated
Childhood, ages 0-19
AYA (adolescents and young adults): age 15-39
Requesting Access to POC Data and Updating/Changing POC Data Requests
For information on requesting access to POC data and requesting updates or changes for currently-approved POC data requests, visit the POC Requesting Access page.
Guidance for Analysis of POC Data
Recommendations for appropriate statistical analyses of POC data sets involving small sample sizes and denominators are available in this report. (PDF, 216 KB)
Contacts
For more information on the Patterns of Care (POC) initiative, please contact: