The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has launched a public data resource that allows users-including members of the public, researchers, healthcare providers and policymakers-to monitor new cancer diagnoses, access to care, risk factors, and a variety of other health trends.
The North Carolina Cancer Health Assets and Needs Assessment (CHANA) tool, operated through the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at UNC Lineberger, will help healthcare providers stay informed and provide more personalized care to patients living across all 100 counties in North Carolina.
"Compiling these data and putting it all in one place will make information searching, research idea generation, and monitoring public health actions more convenient," said Lisa Spees, PhD, an expert in cancer outcomes and the Director of CHANA. "We want this tool to help increase cancer awareness and knowledge among patients and the communities that we serve."
Lisa P. Spees, PhD
CHANA draws data from existing publicly available sources, including the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cancer Information & Population Health Resource (CIPHR), community groups and surveys. All of the data are aggregated and deidentified to protect individuals' confidentiality.
"These data are important for us to ensure that the cancer center is aware of disparities that are happening and to make sure that the research the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center does is relevant to the needs of our population," said Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, executive director of executive director of UNC Lineberger.
CHANA Data Dashboards
The online dashboards are designed for researchers or for anyone looking for detailed information on a number of topics, including, but not limited to:
- Cancer incidence and mortality
- Cancer screening
- Risk factors including tobacco, alcohol, physical inactivity, and obesity
- Social determinants of health (including housing type and transportation, racial and ethnic minorities, and socioeconomic status)
- End of life quality care indicators
- Cancer treatment quality indicators (coming soon!)
CHANA Report
Top Cancer Rates in North Carolina: Statewide. Credit: CHANA Data Dashboards.
The 112-page report is intended for local and state level decision makers, including health department directors, federally qualified health center directors, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, fellow cancer centers, and more.
The report highlights informative data, including:
- State-level demographics
- Social determinants of health and access to care
- Risk factors
- Screening
- Incidence and mortality
- Treatment and survivorship
County Profiles
The County profiles are meant for distribution at community events like health fairs. They include county-level data and information on:
- Demographics
- Cancer incidence and mortality
- Risk factors
- Screening behaviors
- Distance to cancer screening facilities, including federally qualified health centers
- Distance to the nearest cancer treatment centers
- Local resources for cancer survivors
To learn more about the CHANA dashboards, reports, and county profiles, please visit the UNC Lineberger Community Outreach and Engagement website
