Cancer
Cancer facts and figures
Some key facts and figures about cancer.
Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), show that in Australia:
- Cancer is Australia's leading cause of burden of disease. In 2007, there were over 39,000 deaths from cancer and there were over 100,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed in Australia1.
- Based on 2007 data, the risk for a male being diagnosed with cancer before age 75 was 1 in 3, and before age 85 was 1 in 2. The risk for a female being diagnosed with cancer before age 75 was 1 in 4, and before age 85 was 1 in 31.
- The most common cancer affecting males is prostate cancer, which accounted for over 32% of all diagnoses in 2007. For females, the most common cancer is breast cancer, which accounted for over 27% of all diagnoses in 20071. Each of these cancers had over double the number of diagnoses of the second most common cancer, which is colorectal cancer in both sexes1. The next three most common cancers in both sexes are melanoma of the skin, lung cancer and lymphoid cancers1.
- In both sexes the five biggest killers, in order, are lung cancer, prostate cancer (males), breast cancer (females), colorectal cancer, lymphoid cancers and cancer of unknown primary site1. For females, lung cancer overtook breast cancer in 2005 to become the biggest cancer killer of females for the first time2.
- Australian survival rates for cancer are high by world standards. All cancer survival has increased significantly between diagnoses made in 1982-1986 and those made in 1998-2004. For males, five year relative survival increased from 41% to 58% and, for females, it increased from 53% to 64%3. For all people diagnosed with cancer, the 5-year relative survival (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) increased from 47% in 1982-1986 to 61% in 1998-20041.
- In 2005, over 11% of new cases of cancer and nearly 21% of cancer deaths could be attributed to smoking and 3.0% of new cancer cases and 3.5% of cancer deaths could be attributed to excessive alcohol consumption2.
1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2010. Cancer series no. 60. Cat. no. CAN 56.
2 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare & Australasian Association of Cancer Registries 2008. Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2008. Cancer series no. 46. Cat. no. CAN 42. Canberra: AIHW.
3 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Cancer Australia & Australasian Association of Cancer Registries 2008. Cancer survival and prevalence in Australia: cancers diagnosed from 1982 to 2004. Cancer Series no. 42. Cat. no. CAN 38. Canberra: AIHW
Page last reviewed: 4 April 2011
