ICBP publications

Cancer survival in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, 1995—2007 (the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership): an analysis of population-based cancer registry data

The first results of the ICBP have recently been published in the medical journal the Lancet. This epidemiology study is looking at cancer survival rates of four cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung and ovarian cancer. It shows that cancer survival improved over the time of the study in all jurisdictions. But survival remains lowest in England, Denmark, Northern Ireland and Wales. Australia, Canada and Sweden show consistently higher survival while Norway has intermediate levels. These differences were greatest in the first year after diagnosis and for patients aged 65 and older.

If you are interested in reading the full article, you can find it free of charge on the Lancet's webpage.

For a more general take on what the results mean, have a look at the Cancer Research UK Science blog

The ICBP newsletter is published four times a year. It is designed to provide in-depth information about the partnership and the ongoing research. If you'd like to automatically receive future ICBP newsletters, e-mail your contact details to icbp@cancer.org.uk 

You can download all newsletter editions from this page:

• Third edition - autumn 2011
• Second edition - summer 2011
• First edition - spring 2011

How to improve cancer survival: Explaining England's relatively poor rates

In June, ICBP Programme Director Catherine Foot, together with her colleague Tony Harrison at The King's Fund, published a briefing paper outlining the evidence to date on international differences in cancer survival and the evidence for what may be driving those differences. "How to improve cancer survival: Explaining England's relatively poor rates" sets out how the ICBP studies are already and will continue to add to this evidence base.

If you are interested in reading the full article, you can find it free of charge on the King's Fund webpage.

ICBP partners: Cancer plan comparison report

As part of a six month project with the ICBP management team, Cancer Research UK’s Penny Sellers reviewed all of the ICBP partner jurisdictions’ cancer plans. She identified the key aspects in each strategy as well as areas of overlap and significant differences between jurisdictions. Her summary report is just being reviewed and finalised and will be available online shortly.

The ICBP Programme Director and the ICBP Clinical advisor both gave a presentation at the inaugural National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) conference. You can find their presentations on the NAEDI research conference page.