Codes and Frequencies
Description
For sample adults who had ever been told that they had a kind of cancer other than the kinds listed on the survey form (CNOTHR), CNOTHRAG reports how old the person was when this "other kind" of cancer was first diagnosed.
Related Variables
A series of variables report age at first diagnosis of the specific types of cancer listed on the survey form:
- blood cancer (CNBLODAG)
- bone cancer (CNBONEAG)
- brain cancer (CNBRANAG)
- breast cancer (CNBRESAG)
- cervical cancer (CNCERVAG)
- colon cancer (CNCOLNAG)
- esophageal cancer (CNESOPAG)
- gallbladder cancer (CNGALLAG)
- kidney cancer (CNKIDNAG)
- larynx-windpipe cancer (CNLARXAG)
- leukemia (CNLEUKAG)
- liver cancer (CNLIVRAG)
- lung cancer (CNLUNGAG)
- lymphoma (CNLYMPAG)
- melanoma (CNMELNAG)
- mouth, lip, or tongue cancer (CNMOTHAG)
- ovarian cancer (CNOVARAG)
- pancreatic cancer (CNPANCAG)
- prostate cancer (CNPROSAG)
- (melanoma) skin cancer (CNSKMELNAG)
- rectal cancer (CNRECTAG)
- (non-melanoma) skin cancer (CNSKNMAG)
- skin cancer of an unknown type (CNSKDKAG)
- soft tissue (muscle or fat) cancer (CNSOFTAG)
- stomach cancer (CNSTOMAG)
- testicular cancer (CNTESTAG)
- throat-pharynx cancer (CNTHROAG)
- thyroid cancer (CNTHYRAG)
- uterine cancer (CNUTERAG)
CNOTHRAG must be interpreted relative to these variables, because CNOTHRAG refers to age at diagnosis of a type of cancer not included in the above list.
Comparability
This variable is completely comparable for the 1997-2018 samples. Several changes introduced in 2019 may affect comparability with earlier years, including (1) changes in the types of cancers included in "other" due to the suppression of several cancer type variables that were available prior to 2019; and (2) the introduction of a major questionnaire redesign.
Several cancer type variables were suppressed beginning in 2019 (and therefore newly included in "other" cancer type (CNOTHR)), and one new cancer type variable (CNSKMELN) was introduced. Cancer types that were suppressed beginning with the 2019 data included kidney (CNKIDN), soft tissue (CNSOFT), and testicular (CNTEST). A new cancer type variable, skin melanoma cancer (CNSKMELN) (separately and in addition to the already existing melanoma cancer type (CNMELN)), was added in 2019. According to the National Cancer Institute, melanoma is a type of cancer that affects melanocytes (cells that color the skin), and is typically found in the skin, but can also appear in the eye (intraocular or ocular melanoma). Interviewers did not read the list of cancer types aloud to respondents, and instead coded the verbatim responses provided by respondents into the list of cancer types when the response was recorded. For this reason, it is not possible to know whether skin melanoma cancer in 2019 is comparable to melanoma cancer in 2018 and earlier years, or whether melanoma cancer other than skin melanoma cancer reported in 2019 is comparable to soft tissue cancer (CNSOFT) in 2018 and earlier years.
The NHIS questionnaire was substantially redesigned in 2019 to introduce a different data collection structure and new content. For more information on changes in terminology, universes, and data collection methods beginning in 2019, please see the user note.
Universe
- 1987: Half of sample adults aged 18+ who ever told they had other cancer.
- 1997-2018: Sample adults aged 18+ who ever told they had other cancer.
- 2019-2021: sample adults aged 18+ who ever told they had other cancer (CNOTHR).
Availability
- 1987, 1997-2021
Weights
- 1987, 1997-2021 : SAMPWEIGHT
