Aims and objectives

The aims of the course are:

• to teach the main statistical methods for population-based cancer survival analysis.
• to discuss the main controversies in the estimation and interpretation of cancer survival.
• to provide opportunities for computer-based practical analysis of real cancer data.
• to discuss the relevance of the surveillance of trends and inequalities in cancer survival in the development of public health strategies for cancer control.

Intended learning outcomes

We expect students to:

• acquire basic knowledge of the importance of complete and accurate data and the statistical principles for estimating population-based cancer survival.
• be able to perform basic analyses of population-based data with simple statistical programs.
• understand how trends in cancer survival can be deployed both to stimulate and to evaluate public health strategies for cancer control.

Topics covered will include:

• Cancer survival research and cancer policy
• Population-based measures of the cancer burden
• Introduction to survival analysis
• Population-based cancer survival: concepts and estimation *
• Population-based cancer survival: data quality and quality control
• Age-standardisation of cancer survival
• Impact on cancer survival estimates of using different lifetables *
• Period analysis and "prediction" of cancer survival *
• Modelling net survival *
• Secondary measures of cancer survival, including statistical cure
• The mortality-to-incidence ratio
• Participants' case studies
• Data visualisation
• Excess hazard regression models
• International comparisons of cancer survival
• Tools for cancer survival analysis
• Open review sessions are held every day

* Followed by a computer practical

Course attendance certificate

Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance. There is no examination.