Cancer incidence data cubes

This web page contains links to two interactive data cubes with cancer incidence data for Australia for 1982-2005. The source of these data is the Australian Cancer Database at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Cancer age specific data cube

The cancer age rates data base includes the number of new cases and age-specific rates for all registrable cancers (ICD-10 C00-C96 and D45-D47 excluding non-melanocytic skin cancer C44) by year of diagnosis, sex and 5-year age groups. Incidence data for non-melanocytic skin cancer (ICD-10 C44) are not routinely collected by all state and territory cancer registries and are not reported here.

Age-specific rates

Age-specific rates are calculated by dividing the number of cases occurring in each age group by the corresponding population expressed as a rate per 100,000 population.
Note: If no age group selected then age-specific rate = crude rate.

Cancer age standardised data cube

The cancer age standardised database includes the number of new cases, age-standardised incidence rates and crude rates by year of diagnosis and sex. All rates are expressed per 100,000 population and are age-standardised to both the Australian 2001 Population Standard and to the new WHO World Population Standard.

Age-standardised rates

Rates are adjusted for age to facilitate comparisons between populations which have different age structures, e.g. between youthful and ageing communities. Here the direct standardisation method is used in which age-specific rates are multiplied against a constant population (the Australian 2001 Population Standard or the new WHO World Population Standard). This effectively removes the influence of age structure on the summary rate which is described as the age-standardised rate.

Crude rates - all age groups

A crude incidence rate is defined as the number of new cases of cancer divided by the population at risk in a specified time period. Crude rate is conventionally expressed as annual rates per 100,000 population and may be calculated for males, females or persons, or for subsets of the population (e.g. see age-specific rates). The total rate calculated in this way without adjustment for age or other factors is known as the 'crude rate'.

What is an interactive data cube?

A data cube is a multidimensional representation of data which provides fast retrieval and drill down facilities. To learn more about the cube, and how to use the software behind the cube - PowerPlay - click on the help button inside the cube.

How do I export data from cubes?

You can export data from a cube to a comma separated variable file (.csv) for use in other applications such as Microsoft Excel. Once you have the required data visible in the interactive data cube, click the Export CSV button at the bottom of the window. Depending on how your web browser is configured, you will then either see the .csv file or you will be prompted to save it on your computer. If required, more information is available in Help.

Additional information

The Cancer Series publications include more detailed information about cancer in Australia. For queries on the data cubes please contact .