Cancer Incidence, mortality and survival
Cancer is not one single disease, but describes a process that begins with a series of cell changes. There are more than 200 different types of cancer. The most common cancers in males in Ireland are prostate, colorectal and lung cancers. The most common cancers in females are breast, colorectal and lung cancers for females.
The NCCP uses information from various sources to inform its work. For example, information from the National Cancer Registry, the Central Statistics Office and the Public Health Information System are used to understand cancer incidence, mortality and survival patterns. These data also gives us information on trends over time, place (by HSE area or county) and person (by age group or sex).
The National Cancer Registry publishes data and reports on cancer incidence and prevalence. For more information, visit the National Cancer Registry's website, www.ncri.ie.
Key Performance Indicators
Good information is essential to the delivery of good health services. Performance measures or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are one mechanism of measuring quality. The KPIs used by the NCCP help to assess services. They allow for comparisons between centres and to identify areas for improvement. They also provide a mechanism to share good practice. KPIs are often described as the percentage of patients who received care in a particular way or within a particular timeframe.
KPIs are regularly reviewed to ensure that they still provide useful information. New KPIs are only added if their benefits outweigh any data collection challenges and costs.
Page updated December 2024.
