Reporting Delay

The time elapsed before a diagnosed cancer case is reported to the NCI.

Currently, there is a standard delay of 22 months between the end of the diagnosis year and the time SEER cancer registries first report cancers to the NCI. Cancers are reported November 1 of each year for all years including the complete year two previous to the current year. However, SEER cancer registries continue to update registry data indefinitely, so statistics may change, becoming more accurate, every year.