Sampling Racially Matched Population Controls for Case-Control Studies: Using DMV Lists and Oversampling Minorities

The Kidney Cancer Study (KCCS) is currently being carried out for the National Cancer Institute, focusing on renal cell cancer. The incidence rate of renal cell cancer is growing at a higher rate among Blacks than other race/ethnic groups. However, there are many more White cases than Black, so both race groups are of interest in the study. The study is being carried out at two sites with large Black populations in both number and as a percentage of the total population: Chicago (specifically, Cook county) and Detroit (specifically, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties). Controls are frequency matched to cases on the characteristics of age, sex, and race with the age range of interest being 20-79. Controls aged 65 and older are being selected from lists of Medicare Beneficiaries, where age, sex, and race are all available.