This report presents the current state of the Australian Cancer Database (ACD) and identifies and presents approaches for the continued development and enhancement of the database.

Summary

High quality data are essential national assets for the effective monitoring of cancer incidence, prevalence, survival and mortality in Australia. These data are vital to governments, clinicians and health services in delivering quality, evidence-based cancer care and broader cancer control initiatives. It is, therefore, important to define the availability, consistency and quality of  these data that best serves this purpose. The Australian Cancer Database (ACD) is collated annually and administered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in collaboration with Australia’s cancer registries through the Australasian Association of Cancer Registries.

As the only national collection of cancer incidence data, the ACD forms the backbone of all national cancer statistics produced by the AIHW. It also serves as a valuable resource for national performance reporting, cancer research and data linkage.