In this section
The Descriptive Epidemiology Research Program aims to describe the patterns of cancer in Queensland, with a specific focus on quantifying and understanding the reasons for the geographical inequalities in cancer outcomes.
The program also provides in-house statistical and methodological support across the research activities of the VCRCC and Cancer Council Queensland more generally.
Current research projects
Cancer Statistics for Queensland
The Queensland Cancer Statistics On-Line is an online data dissemination tool that provides the latest available statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, survival and prevalence for the most common cancers in Queensland.
Complementing this online tool is a series of cancer-specific descriptive reports that present a comprehensive overview of major cancers in Queensland, including comparisons with national and international benchmarks where available. Most recently the Cancer Atlas of Queensland was published, updates our understanding of how cancer incidence and survival affects Queenslanders differently depending on where they live. Other publications have built on these reports to describe the variation of cancer outcomes internationally.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Peter Baade Danny Youlden and Susanna Cramb |
Contact:
Selected Publications
- Baade P, Youlden D, Krnjacki L. Epidemiology of prostate cancer: geographical distribution and secular trends. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 2009; 53: 171-184.
- Youlden DR, Cramb S, Baade PD. The international epidemiology of lung cancer: geographical distribution and secular trends. Journal of Thoracic Oncology 2008 Aug;3(8):819-31.
Detailed incidence, survival and trend analyses for specific cancers
Detailed analyses of incidence and mortality trends, along with survival patterns, provides a means by which to evaluate the current control measures for specific cancers, and can quantify, on an ecological population basis, the possible impact of changes in risk factors, diagnostic procedures and treatments.
| Staff involved | Main Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Peter Baade Danny Youlden Rosie Meng |
Lin Fritschi (West Australian Institute of Medical Research) Suzanne Chambers (Griffith University) |
Contact
Selected Publications
- Baade PD, Youlden DR, Coory MD, Gardiner RA, Chambers SK. Urban rural differences in prostate cancer outcomes in Australia – what has changed? Medical Journal of Australia 194(6):293-6
- Baade PD, Meng X, Youlden DR, Aitken JF, Youl PH. Time trends and latitudinal differences in melanoma thickness distribution in Australia. International Journal of Cancer; 2011 Feb 22 [Epub ahead of print]
- Baade PD, Youlden DR, Chambers SK. How long have I got? Using conditional probability to provide more relevant information about cancer survival outcomes. Medical Journal of Australia 2011;194:73-77.
Geographical differentials in colorectal and breast cancer (CRC) survival
Survival times for people diagnosed with colorectal or breast cancer depend on where people live; typically prognosis is poorer for people living in rural and socio-economically disadvantaged areas. However we know very little about why these inequalities exist. This NHMRC-funded study, the first of its type in Australia, examines how much of the survival inequalities are due to the characteristics of individuals, and how much is due to the characteristics of the area itself. It utilises emerging spatial (GIS) and statistical (multilevel modelling) technologies and sources data, with appropriate approvals, from the Queensland Cancer Registry, ABS Census, Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data collection and the Cancer Council Queensland longitudinal study on colorectal cancer.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Peter Baade Joanne Aitken Paramita Dasgupta Rosie Meng, Robyn Chatman |
Gavin Turrell (QUT) |
Contact
Selected Publications
- Baade PD, Turrell G, Aitken JF. A multilevel study of the determinants of area-level inequalities in colorectal cancer survival. BMC Cancer 2010 Jan 28;10:24.
- Baade PD, Dasgupta P, Aitken JF, Turrell G. Association between survival and distance to closest radiation treatment facilities for people diagnosed with rectal cancer in Queensland, Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. (in press 18th January 2011) Baade PD, Turrell G, Aitken JF. Geographic remoteness, area-level socioeconomic disadvantage, and advanced breast cancer: a cross-sectional multilevel study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2011 Jan 30 [Epub ahead of print].
Investigating differentials in health, treatment patterns, secondary cancers and mortality
Several studies are currently underway focussing on issues relevant to cancer survivors, including their general health, the type of treatment they receive, their risk of subsequent cancers and their risk of dying from a non-cancer related condition.
These studies use Queensland (including the ProsCan study), Australian or international data to answer specific research questions.
| Staff involved | Main Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Peter Baade Danny Youlden Rosie Meng |
Suzanne Chambers (Griffith University) Frank Gardiner (University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research) Lin Fritschi (West Australian Institute of Medical Research) Geoff Beadle (Wesley Research Institute) Andreas Obermair (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital) |
Contact
Selected Publications
- Royle J, Baade P, Joske D, Fritschi L. Risk of second cancer after lymphohematopoietic neoplasm. International Journal of Cancer. 2011,129:910–919
- Youlden D, Baade P. The relative risk of second primary cancers in Queensland, Australia: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Cancer; 2011;11(1):83
- Baade P, Herrero Hernández E, Freedman DM, Smithers M, Fritschi L. No role for melanoma treatment in the association between melanoma and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Parkinson's disease [Letter]. Neuroepidemiology 2010;35:303-304
- Baade P, Royle J, Joske D, Fritschi L. Non-cancer mortality among people diagnosed with lymphohaematopoietic neoplasm in Australia. Cancer Causes and Control; 2011;22(5):715-723
- Baade P, Aitken JF, Ferguson M, Gardiner RG, Chambers SK. Diagnostic and treatment pathways for men with prostate cancer in Queensland: investigating spatial and demographic inequalities. BMC Cancer 2010, 10:452
Spatio-temporal modeling of cancer data in Queensland using Bayesian methods
Small-area analyses are important to understand geographical inequalities in the burden of cancer. However, there are difficulties in producing accurate and reliable estimates when data are very sparse. To overcome these problems, this project uses Bayesian hierarchical models to investigate geographical and time−dependent distributions of the cancer burden in Queensland. The aim is to assist in identifying and reducing the disparities seen in cancer outcomes across Queensland.
The Atlas of Cancer in Queensland report was the initial step in quantifying the geographic variation throughout Queensland. Important disparities in incidence and survival were identified, and will be further investigated using data from the Queensland Cancer Registry and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Peter Baade Susanna Cramb |
Kerrie Mengersen (QUT) |
Contact
Selected Publications
- Cramb S, Mengersen K, Baade P. Identification of area-level influences on increased cancer incidence in Queensland, Australia: a regressive partitioning approach. BMC Cancer 2011;11:311
- Cramb SM, Mengersen KL, Baade PD. Developing the Atlas of Cancer in Queensland: Methodological Issues. Journal of Health Geographics 2011;10(1):9
Childhood Cancer in Australia
Cancer Council Queensland manages, and is the sole funder, of the Australian Paediatric Cancer Registry, which collects information on all cases of cancer diagnosed for children aged 0-15 years old throughout Australia. Data from the APCR has been used to produce national reports and papers on childhood cancer incidence and survival, including investigation into differences by place of residence.
Future research will focus on a number of areas, including cancer among Indigenous children, the extent to which cancer survival is influenced by the clinical treatment that a child receives and the risk of second primary cancers among longer-term childhood cancer survivors.
| Staff involved | Collaborators |
|---|---|
| Peter Baade Danny Youlden Joanne Aitken Leisa Ward |
Adele Green (Queensland Institute of Medical Research) Patricia Valery (Menzies Research Institute) and Timothy Hassall (Royal Children's Hospital) |
Selected Publications
- Baade P, Youlden D, Valery P, Hassall T, Ward L, Green A, Aitken J. Population-based survival estimates for childhood cancer in Australia during the period 1997-2006. British Journal of Cancer 2010; 103:1663-1670
- Youlden D, Baade P, Valery P, Ward L, Green A, Aitken J. Differentials in Survival for Childhood Cancer in Australia by Remoteness of Residence and Area Disadvantage. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & 2011 July 5. [Epub ahead of print]
- Baade P, Youlden D, Valery P, Hassall T, Ward L, Green A, Aitken J. rends in incidence of childhood cancer in Australia, 1983-2006. British Journal of Cancer 2010 Feb 2;102(3):620-6
- Youlden D, Baade P, Valery P, Hassall T, Ward L, Green A, Aitken J. Area-based differentials in childhood cancer incidence in Australia, 1996-2006. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2011 Mar 21 [Epub ahead of print]
More information
For more information about descriptive epidemiology research programs contact the Program Leader: A/Prof Peter Baade
