Aim
Evidence shows that national cancer control plans (NCCPs) contribute to improved cancer outcomes at the population level. Tools exist to assist policymakers to develop and implement NCCPs effectively. The Australian Cancer Plan (ACP) is Australia’s first NCCP. The ACP should align with international standards of national cancer control planning. The aim of this work was to test the application of NCCP tools to the draft ACP.
Method
Two NCCP development checklists were applied: 1: The 36-item Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) checklist1, and 2: A 111-item checklist developed by Oar and colleagues (2019) and published in the Lancet Oncology2.
A decision tree approach was utilised to assess the draft ACP against both checklists, consisting of three sequential yes/no questions to each item. Rationale for each decision was also documented.
Results
The draft ACP had 72% alignment with the UICC checklist and 90% alignment with the Lancet Oncology checklist. This was illustrated by clear agreement between the draft ACP and checklist domains pertaining to the country’s cancer picture, NCCP governance and leadership, and NCCP content. Specific to the Lancet Oncology checklist, there was high alignment with domains covering all aspects of cancer control from prevention, screening, and treatment, to palliative care, survivorship, and service delivery. Areas of less relevance included finance and implementation, which were not completed at the time of the assessment.
Conclusions
A decision tree approach indicates at face value that the draft ACP is well-aligned with international standards of national cancer control planning. This decision tree methodology provides a viable way of assessing NCCPs against established checklists and has relevance internationally as a simple tool for policymakers to review their cancer control plans against international standards.