A time-series comparison of cancer mortality rates in the New Jersey-New York-Philadelphia metropolitan region and the remainder of the United States, 1950--1969.

Cancer mortality trends from 1950 to 1968 were studied for the New Jersey-New York-Philadelphia metropolitan region and the remainder of the United States for 65 age- sex- and race-standardized causes. Usuing total population, age-adjusted rates for the years 1950--1954, 1955--1959, 1960--1964 and 1965--1969, the findings show a strong tendency for the region and the remainder of the nation to be moving toward similar mortality patterns. White and nonwhite male rates in the remainder of the nation are rapidly catching up to the study region's rates. Female rates are converging, although less rapidly.