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Cancer: key facts

The AIHW Cancer and Screening Unit monitors and reports on cancer and cancer screening  using the Australian Cancer Database as the main data source. Our information helps health professionals, policy makers and consumers better understand cancer trends and patterns, including:

Incidence

How many people are estimated to have been  diagnosed with cancer in 2012?

120,710 new cases of cancer are estimated to have been diagnosed in Australia in 2012 (excluding basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin). Of these, 56% are males.

What is the risk of being diagnosed with cancer?

The risk of being diagnosed with cancer before the age of:

  • 75 years is 1 in 3 for males and 1 in 4 for females.
  • 85 years is higher, at 1 in 2 for males and 1 in 3 for females.

Which cancers are estimated to be the most commonly diagnosed in 2012?

In 2012, the cancers estimated to be most commonly diagnosed are:

  • prostate cancer (18,560 cases)
  • bowel cancer (15,840 cases)
  • breast cancer (14,680 cases)
  • melanoma of the skin (12,510 cases)
  • lung cancer (11,280 cases).

Estimated 10 most commonly diagnosed cancers, Australia, 2012 

Horizontal bar chart showing commonly diagnosed cancer; cancer type on y axis; and number of cases on x axis

Note: 2012 estimates are based on 2000-2009 incidence data. The estimates are rounded to the nearest 10.

Source: AIHW Australian Cancer Database 2009.

Does incidence differ by age?

In 2012, the likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer increased as a person got older.

Some differences between males and females are expected. The incidence rate for all cancers combined is expected to be:

  • slightly higher for females than males among those aged 30-54.
  • higher for males than females among those aged 55 and over.

Estimated age-specific incidence rates for all cancers combined, Australia, 2012 

Stacked line chart for males, females and all persons showing rate (per 100,000) on y-axis and age group (years) on x-axis

Notes

  1. 2012 estimates are based on 2000-2009 incidence data.
  2. Data pertain to cancers coded in ICD-10 as C00-C97, D45, D46, D47.1 and D47.3, with the exception of those C44 codes that indicate a basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

Source: AIHW Australian Cancer Database 2009.

How has the occurrence of cancer changed over time?

Between 1991 and 2009:

  • the number of new cancer cases diagnosed increased by 72% from 66,393 to 114,137
  • the age-standardised incidence rate for all cancers combined increased by 12% from 433 per 100,000 people to 486 per 100,000.

Incidence of all cancers combined, Australia, 1991 to 2012 

Vertical bar chart for number and rate (per 100,000) showing number of cases on y-axis and year on x-axi

Notes

  1. The graph presents actual data for 1991 to 2009 and estimates for 2010 to 2012.
  2. 2010-2012 estimates are based on 2000-2009 incidence data. Estimates are displayed on the graph as a dotted line or bar.
  3. The rates were age-standardised to the Australian population as at 30 June 2001.
  4. Data pertain to cancers coded in ICD-10 as C00-C97, D45, D46, D47.1 and D47.3, with the exception of those C44 codes that indicate a basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

Source: AIHW Australian Cancer Database 2009.

Mortality

How many people died from cancer in 2010?

A total of 42,844 people died from cancer in 2010 (24,328 males and 18,516 females) - an average of 117 people per day.

Cancer was the second most common cause of death in 2010 (about 3 of every 10 deaths).

What is the risk of death from cancer?

The risk of dying from cancer before the age of:

  • 75 years is 1 in 8 for males and 1 in 12 for females.
  • 85 years is higher, at 1 in 4 for males and 1 in 6 for females.

Which cancers led to most deaths in 2010?

In 2010, the most common causes of cancer death were:

  • lung cancer (8,099 deaths)
  • bowel cancer (3,982 deaths)
  • prostate cancer (3,235 deaths)
  • breast cancer (2,864 deaths)
  • pancreatic cancer (2,434 deaths).

The 10 most common causes of death from cancer, Australia, 2010 

Horizontal bar chart showing cause of death on y-axis and number of deaths on x-axis

Note: Mortality data for 2010 are preliminary and are subject to further revision.

Source: AIHW National Mortality Database.

How has mortality from cancer changed over time?

Between 1991 and 2010:

  • the number of deaths from cancer increased by 37% from 31,356 deaths to 42,844
  • the age-standardised mortality rate for all cancers combined decreased by 17% from 210 per 100,000 people to 174 per 100,000.

Mortality from all cancers combined, Australia, 1991 to 2010 

Vertical bar chart showing number of deaths on y-axis, rate (per 100,000) as line chart and year on x-axis

Notes

  1. Mortality data for 2009 and 2010 are revised and preliminary, respectively, and are subject to further revision.
  2. The rates were age-standardised to the Australian population as at 30 June 2001.
  3. Data pertain to cancers coded in ICD-10 as C00-C97, D45, D46, D47.1 and D47.3.

Source: AIHW National Mortality Database.

Survival

What is the prospect of survival?

In 2006-2010, 5-year relative survival was 66% for all cancers combined.

Females had slightly higher 5-year relative survival than males, at 67% compared with 65% for males.

How has survival changed over time?

Between 1982-1987 and 2006-2010:

  • 5-year relative survival for people diagnosed with cancer increased from 47% to 66%.
  • 5-year relative survival improved for the three most commonly diagnosed cancers- prostate cancer (from 58% to 92%), bowel cancer (from 48% to 66%) and breast cancer in females (from 72% to 89%).
  • Some cancers that already had low survival in 1982-1987 showed only small gains in survival, such as pancreatic cancer (from 3% to 5%) and lung cancer (from 9% to 14%).

Five-year relative survival for selected cancers, Australia, 1982-1987 to 2006-2010 

Vertical bar chart showing five-year relative survival (per cent) on y-axis and type of cancer on x-axis

Source: AIHW Australian Cancer Database 2007.

Reference

AIHW & AACR 2012. Cancer in Australia: an overview 2012. Cancer series no. 74. Cat. no. CAN 70. Canberra: AIHW.

AIHW 2012. Cancer in Australia: in brief 2012. Cancer series no. 73. Cat. no. CAN 69. Canberra: AIHW.

Further information

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