National Cancer Data in one Place!

Have you seen the National Cancer Control Indicators (NCCI) website?

It is Australia’s first single location of cancer data.

An initiative of Cancer Australia, the national cancer control agency, this data resource launched last November. The framework above shows the sources and type of data collected. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) feature prominently as data custodians.

Data is updated dynamically on the site as it becomes available and can be displayed as required using interactive features. The information is organised around the cancer journey from Prevention, Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment and Outcomes. Two further domains, Research and Psychosocial Care, are currently under development.

The site acknowledges that there is a large degree of variation in the availability and completeness of data for some cancer domains, and for certain tumour types. The data is still also relatively old, with the recently released National Cancer Stage at Diagnosis analysis dating to 2011. Despite these caveats, which will improve moving forward, it is a fantastic initiative and invaluable to policy makers, researchers and reimbursement submission writers!