<commit_before>---
layout: post
title: Reading SEER data into R
date: 2016-10-28
---

**Note**

I wrote this about a year ago, but I'm posting it here in case someone
finds it helpful.

### Intro/purpose

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program provides
a lot of potentially useful cancer data. Unfortunately, the data 
require either SAS or a heavy time commitment to be useful. This document 
shows how to obtain SEER data and combine the 40 provided files into 
just a few files.

### Requesting/Downloading the data

To begin doing anything, you'll have to obtain data. Go to [this
page](http://seer.cancer.gov/data/access.html) to request the data and
sign their agreement form.

After returning the agreement form, you'll be linked to [this
site](http://seer.cancer.gov/data/options.html). Pick ZIP or exe,<commit_msg>Update 2016-10-28-SEERwithR.md<commit_after>---
layout: post
title: Reading SEER data into R
date: 2016-10-28
---

**Note**

I wrote this about a year ago, but I'm posting it here in case someone
finds it helpful.

### Intro/purpose

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program provides
a lot of potentially useful cancer data. Unfortunately, the data 
require either SAS or a heavy time commitment to be useful. This document 
shows how to obtain SEER data and combine the 40 provided files into 
just a few files for easier handling.

### Requesting/Downloading the data

To begin doing anything, you'll have to obtain data. Go to [this
page](http://seer.cancer.gov/data/access.html) to request the data and
sign their agreement form.

After returning the agreement form, you'll be linked to [this
site](http://seer.cancer.gov/data/options.html). Pick ZIP or exe,
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