GCO COT - sporedata/researchdesigneR GitHub Wiki

General description

The Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) is a web-based platform developed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It provides global cancer statistics to aid in the research and control of cancer.

The "Cancer Over Time" subsite offers interactive visualizations of cancer-specific incidence and mortality trends over the past 65 years across 60 countries. It includes analytical tools for age–period–cohort analysis and aims to enable registries to submit timely aggregated data.

Benefits and categories

Benefits

• Advanced Analytical Tools: Age–period–cohort analysis and visualization tools facilitate detailed research and hypothesis generation.
• Comprehensive Coverage: The inclusion of data from 60 countries allows for comparative studies and global health assessments.
• Longitudinal Data Analysis: Researchers can explore long-term trends in cancer incidence and mortality, which is crucial for identifying patterns and assessing the impact of cancer control measures.

Categories

• Cancer Incidence Data: National and subnational incidence data from cancer registries.
• Cancer Mortality Data: National cancer-specific mortality data from the WHO Mortality Database.
• Age–Period–Cohort Analysis Tools: Tools for detailed trend analysis by age group, birth cohort, and calendar period.

Limitations

• Time Lag: There may be delays in data submission and updates, impacting the timeliness of the information.
• Limited Granularity: Some regions may lack detailed subnational data, limiting the depth of certain analyses.
• Data Inconsistencies: Variability in data collection methods and quality across countries may affect the consistency of the dataset.

Related publications

• Cancer statistics in Yemen: incidence and mortality, in 2020.
• Oral squamous cell carcinomas: state of the field and emerging directions.
• A glance at the actual role of glutamine metabolism in thyroid tumorigenesis.
• Comparison of primary liver cancer mortality estimates from World Health Organization, global burden disease and global cancer observatory.

Data access

Data Access is public and can be accessed at Cancer Over Time.