Rationale

A population health approach to cancer control focuses on efforts to reduce both the incidence of the disease as well as associated morbidity and mortality. These efforts occur at all stages of the cancer journey, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, survivorship and palliative care.

Cancer epidemiology, or the study of the distribution and determinants of the disease, provides important knowledge to guide cancer control efforts.

Specialist cancer nurses require an understanding of core concepts in cancer epidemiology, to enable them to contribute to evidence based cancer control activities at all stages across the cancer journey. Specialist cancer nurses also contribute to collection of core cancer related data necessary for monitoring trends in the disease, and evaluating outcomes from cancer control efforts.

Based on an understanding of epidemiological data relating to cancer, specialist cancer nurses play an important public education role to reduce modifiable risks for developing cancer, and contribute to population based cancer screening programs.

Key concepts

• Components of cancer control programs
• Cancer control priorities in Australia
• Basic epidemiological concepts
• Core cancer data sets and their uses in cancer control
• Cancer data sources in Australia and internationally
• Trends in incidence, mortality and survival data for major cancers in Australia and internationally
• Patterns of cancer occurrence according to age, socio-economic factors, ethnicity and gender
• Cancer risk factors
• Cancer prevention
• Cancer screening

Objectives

On completion of this supporting resource, you should be able to:

1. Outline the key components and the role of specialist cancer nurses in a comprehensive national cancer control program.
2. Discuss cancer control priorities in Australia.
3. Discuss the role of epidemiological and core clinical data in cancer control efforts, including in specialist cancer nursing practice.
4. Identify cancer data sources in Australia and internationally.
5. Analyse trends in incidence, mortality and survival for frequently occurring cancers.
6. Describe patterns of occurrence of cancer amongst differing socio-demographic groups.
7. Identify risk factors for the most frequently occurring cancers in Australia.
8. Explain cancer prevention and cancer screening policy and programs in Australia.
9. Apply an understanding of population health concepts to reduce risks and promote early detection of cancer.

Learning activities
At times, you will have learning activities to complete. Click on the learning activities button and a list of questions will pop up. The questions will relate to the content you've just read or the video you've just watched.

Resource links
Resource links are included throughout the resource. These links lead to interesting articles or websites, and are designed to encourage you to explore other available resources.

Suggested citation:

Cancer Australia. (2018) EdCaN module: Population health concepts, version 1.2.

Next: The epidemiology of cancer [2]