"The maps in this atlas present age-standardized mortality rates by sex for the 355 areas designated as being at level II by the EEC statistical services. The data mapped relate mainly to the period 1975-1980, for the nine states that constituted the EEC at that time (Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). The cancer sites included are those for which the numbers are both large enough and reliable enough for the geographical variations seen to be meaningful. Based on over 3.6 million deaths from cancer, they reveal many distinctive patterns of cancer mortality distribution within the EEC which clearly and urgently require further study from the standpoint of causation. The maps may also be used as an aid in planning the provision of the health services required to combat this disease. In addition to the maps, tables of the data upon which they are based are presented, along with comments on the cancer patterns revealed and on possible causal factors."--Publisher's description.