Starting with the 1975-2017 SEER Data, there are two data products available: SEER Research and SEER Research Plus (see the SEER Data Change History). The changes were motivated because of concerns about the increasing risk of re-identifiability of individuals. The Research Plus databases require a more rigorous process for access that includes user authentication, see How to Request Access to SEER Data.

Variable Availability

The Research databases exclude variables because of issues of confidentiality or with complexity or limitations in the ways that the variables could be analyzed or interpreted. The Research Plus databases provide access to the additional variables, though some are not available at the individual level in SEER*Stat case listing sessions.

For documentation about the Research and Research Plus databases, including a dictionary of all the variables included by data product, see SEER*Stat Database Details for the November 2021 Submission.

Variables Available in Research Plus, Not in Research Databases
Variable Name Reason for Exclusion from Research Data Research Plus Availability in Case Listing*
SEER Registry Confidentiality Not in case listing
Louisiana 2005 - 1st vs 2nd half of year Confidentiality Not in case listing
County Confidentiality Not in case listing
State-County Confidentiality Not in case listing
Month of diagnosis Confidentiality Not in case listing
Month of diagnosis recode Confidentiality Not in case listing

SEER registry (with CA and GA as whole states)

Confidentiality In case listing
PRCDA Region Confidentiality In case listing
Age at diagnosis up to 99 Confidentiality In case listing
Marital status at diagnosis Confidentiality In case listing
Radiation recode Analysis/interpretation In case listing
Chemotherapy recode (yes, no/unk) Analysis/interpretation In case listing
Radiation to Brain or CNS Recode (1988-1997) Analysis/interpretation In case listing
RX Summ--Systemic Surg Seq Analysis/interpretation In case listing
Radiation sequence with surgery Analysis/interpretation In case listing
Months from diagnosis to treatment Analysis/interpretation In case listing

*Case listings are a session type in the SEER*Stat software that allow you to view individual records in the data.

Access Requirements by Data Product

In addition to the Research and Research Plus databases, SEER makes available several Specialized Databases that include additional fields that SEER collects and are not part of the standard research databases. A summary of the access requirements by product type is available in the table below.

Access and Data Use Requirements Data Products
Research Research Plus Specialized
Email Valid email Valid email linked to an authenticated user Valid email linked to an authenticated user 
User Authentication Not required Valid institutional account (or signing best practices and agreement of signing official) Valid institutional account
Completion of Application Form Required Required Required; applicant to select the specialized dataset 
Data User Agreement Required Required Required (may include addendum) 
Acknowledgement of Data Limitations Required Required Required; database specific 
Analysis Plan Review and Approval Not required Not required Research questions and analytic plan
Availability of Individual Data Individual data available Limited1 Limited1, database specific
Suppression in SEER*Stat None None None
Suppression in Publication Yes Yes Yes

Notes:

  1. Individual data is NOT available when using some variables that were not included in the Research Files. See the variable availability table above for details.