Premium
Cancer incidence, survival and mortality: Explaining the concepts
Author(s) -
Ellis Libby,
Woods Laura M.,
Estève Jacques,
Eloranta Sandra,
Coleman Michel P.,
Rachet Bernard
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.28990
Subject(s) - incidence (geometry) , confusion , population , medicine , cancer , cancer survival , demography , lung cancer , public health , cancer registry , cancer incidence , breast cancer , environmental health , oncology , pathology , psychology , physics , sociology , psychoanalysis , optics
Cancer incidence, survival and mortality are essential population‐based indicators for public health and cancer control. Confusion and misunderstanding still surround the estimation and interpretation of these indicators. Recurring controversies over the use and misuse of population‐based cancer statistics in health policy suggests the need for further clarification. In our article, we describe the concepts that underlie the measures of incidence, survival and mortality, and illustrate the synergy between these measures of the cancer burden. We demonstrate the relationships between trends in incidence, survival and mortality, using real data for cancers of the lung and breast from England and Sweden. Finally, we discuss the importance of using all three measures in combination when interpreting overall progress in cancer control, and we offer some recommendations for their use.