The University of North Carolina’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has unveiled a groundbreaking public data resource designed to empower a wide array of users, from researchers and healthcare providers to policymakers and the general public. This innovative tool, known as the North Carolina Cancer Health Assets and Needs Assessment (CHANA), offers insights into new cancer diagnoses, access to care, risk factors, and other critical health trends.
Operated through the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at UNC Lineberger, CHANA aims to enhance healthcare delivery across all 100 counties in North Carolina by providing healthcare providers with crucial data to tailor more personalized patient care. “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.”
Data Sources and Privacy Measures
CHANA aggregates data from a variety of publicly available sources, including the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Cancer Information & Population Health Resource (CIPHR). Community groups and surveys also contribute to this comprehensive database. Importantly, all data are de-identified to safeguard individual privacy.
“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,” stated Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, executive director of UNC Lineberger.
CHANA Data Dashboards and Their Utility
The CHANA tool features online dashboards tailored for researchers and anyone seeking detailed information on a range of topics. These include:
- Cancer incidence and mortality
- Cancer screening
- Risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, physical inactivity, and obesity
- Social determinants of health, including housing type, transportation, racial and ethnic minorities, and socioeconomic status
- End-of-life quality care indicators
- Cancer treatment quality indicators (coming soon!)
CHANA Report: A Resource for Decision Makers
In addition to the dashboards, CHANA offers a comprehensive 112-page report aimed at local and state-level decision-makers. This includes health department directors, federally qualified health center directors, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and other cancer centers.
The report provides valuable data on:
- State-level demographics
- Social determinants of health and access to care
- Risk factors
- Screening
- Incidence and mortality
- Treatment and survivorship
County Profiles: Localized Insights
CHANA also delivers county profiles, designed for distribution at community events such as health fairs. These profiles offer county-level data 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 explore the CHANA dashboards, reports, and county profiles, interested parties are encouraged to visit the UNC Lineberger Community Outreach and Engagement website.
Implications and Future Directions
The launch of CHANA represents a significant step forward in cancer data accessibility and public health strategy. By providing a centralized repository of information, UNC Lineberger hopes to foster greater collaboration among healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers, ultimately leading to improved cancer care and outcomes across North Carolina.
As healthcare becomes increasingly data-driven, tools like CHANA are essential for identifying and addressing health disparities, tailoring interventions, and informing policy decisions. The ongoing development of the tool, including forthcoming cancer treatment quality indicators, underscores UNC Lineberger’s commitment to advancing cancer research and care.
Looking ahead, the success of CHANA could serve as a model for other states and regions seeking to leverage data in the fight against cancer. By making data accessible and actionable, UNC Lineberger is paving the way for a more informed and proactive approach to cancer prevention and treatment.
