Aims: It is widely recognised that the impact of cancer exhibits geographical variation, often attributed to disparities in socioeconomic factors and health behaviours. In 2018, the award-winning Australian Cancer Atlas (atlas.cancer.org.au) was launched online, offering a comprehensive depiction of cancer impact, quantified by incidence rates and survival outcomes, at a fine-grained geographical scale throughout Australia. Since its launch, it has been accessed by >65,000 distinct users from >100 countries and has been used to guide policy development and increase cancer prevention and early detection efforts. In 2021, work commenced greatly expand the Atlas with the aim of including additional indicators related to cancer screening, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and hospital treatment modalities; along with temporal changes in the geographical patterns; measures of both relative and absolute burden and more types of cancer.
Methods: Spatial and spatio-temporal statistical models within a Bayesian framework were developed and applied to population-based data obtained from cancer registry, hospital admission, Medicare-funded procedures, screening datasets, and National Health Survey data. Substantial enhancements to the digital architecture and interactive user interface visualised the modelled estimates across at least 2,200 small areas alongside their uncertainty.
Results: The Australian Cancer Atlas 2.0 launched in May 2024, revealing substantial geographical disparities in the impact of cancer across Australia, with the magnitude and characteristics of this variation varying by cancer type and indicator. While area-specific trends were generally consistent with the national trend, there was limited evidence that geographic disparities have changed over time. This presentation will feature these geographic disparities, showcase key elements of the new Atlas, and discuss future research priorities and collaboration.
Conclusions: The Australian Cancer Atlas provides unique insights into the “what” and “where” of geographical variation, crucial for informing the development of interventions and policy. The next step is to understand the “why”.