• cancer currently accounts for 30.2% of male deaths and 25.2% of female deaths each year
• each year about 345,000 people are diagnosed with cancer. Approximately 270,000 of these are non-melanocytic skin cancers (the less threatening form of skin cancer)
• the most commonly detected cancers are prostate cancer in males and breast cancer in females
• in 2000 there were 35,628 deaths in Australia from cancer and the most common cancers causing death were lung cancer in males and breast cancer in females
• at the prevailing cancer incidence rates, it may be expected that one in three men and one in four women could be directly affected by cancer by the age of 75.

Eight 'priority' cancers have been targeted under the National Health Priority initiative:

• lung cancer
• melanoma skin cancer
• non-melanocytic skin cancer
• cancer of the cervix
• breast cancer
• colorectal cancer
• prostate cancer
• non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

(Source: NHPA website)

Information on the impact of Cochrane reviews on cancer health care will be available on this site.  Evidence-Based Policy Network members will be notified of its availability in the EBPN bulletin.

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Model for use of Cochrane reviews in health policy

An example from asthma has been provided to demonstrate the potential of embedding Cochrane reviews in policy making processes.  This may provide a model that could be implemented in other areas of healthcare:

• Impact of Cochrane reviews on asthma: a possible model for informing health policy

If you would like to share an example of how you have used Cochrane reviews to inform your work please email the details to Marie Misso.

This website is produced and maintained  by the Australasian Cochrane Centre for members of the Evidence-Based Policy Network, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.