Cancer data in Australia

Cancer data in Australia (CdiA) provides a wide range of statistics on many cancers. CdiA also includes some cancer data commentaries. Some of these commentaries are targeted articles focussed on specific cancers while others explain how to use CdiA’s data.

Most of the statistics within CdiA are presented through interactive data visualisations. Data for all visualisations, except cancer rankings, are also available in Excel. Data includes projections for more recent years while the majority of data are actuals. This year’s CdiA includes updated data for existing reports but also adds some additional cancer data reports.

Cancer data in Australia - 2025 release

This summary page details the new content in the Cancer data in Australia, the content updated and the data to be released in the second phase of the report release.

New content

Breslow and breast cancer by tumour size incidence and survival

Breast cancer by tumour size and melanoma of the skin by Breslow thickness statistics are included in several core incidence and survival reports. The breast cancer by tumour size incidence trends are impacted by high proportions of unknown tumour size but survival rates by tumour size should enhance the breast cancer survival information of this report. Melanoma of the skin by Breslow thickness incidence rates are less impacted by unknown Breslow thickness.

Prevalence projections

The cancer prevalence data visualisation now includes projected prevalence up to 2025.

Additional cancer sites for histology reporting

Histology describes the type of cells or tissue in which cancer originates. Anal cancer, breast cancer by tumour size, melanoma of the skin by Breslow thickness, oesophageal cancer, small intestine cancer and stomach cancer, have been added to the cancer by histology data visualisations.

Additional year of incidence data for Queensland and Victoria

At the time of release, national data from the Australian Cancer Database (ACD) is complete up to 2021. Incidence data for Victoria and Queensland is also available for 2022 within the ACD and is available within the state and territory data visualisation.

To be released in 2026

The data and cancer data commentaries planned for release early in 2026 include:

• cancer incidence, mortality and survival statistics by Indigenous status
• cancer incidence, mortality and survival statistics by Remoteness Area
• cancer incidence, mortality and survival statistics by socio-economic disadvantage
• melanoma of the skin cancer data commentary
• cervical cancer data commentary

Cancer incidence and survival statistics by Primary Health Network, Local Government Area and Statistical Area 3 are expected to be released early to mid-2026. 

Contents - CdiA core statistics – data updated October 2025

Cancer overview, 2025

The cancer overview provides a written overview about cancer in Australia for 2025.

Cancer Excel data

The CdiA content includes data visualisation, commentaries and an overview. The Data section includes Excel worksheets supporting all the data visualisations (except rankings) and commentaries.

Also, pivot tables that provide cancer incidence counts by 3 character International Classification of Diseases 10^th Revision (ICD-10) codes are located in the Data section.

Cancer incidence by age

The cancer incidence by age data visualisation contains time series for cancer cases and rates by a wide range of different age groups and also includes the median age at diagnosis.

Cancer summary statistics

The cancer summary data visualisation contains incidence counts and rates, survival rates and prevalence data. Time series are provided for all this data except for prevalence.

Cancer incidence and mortality rankings

The cancer rankings data visualisation lists the leading 20 cancers in Australia for incidence and mortality over time (from 1982 for incidence and from 2007 for mortality). The rankings now include a broader range of age groups (5-, 10-, 15- 20-…50-year age groups).

State and territory cancer incidence and mortality

The state and territory data visualisation contains state and territory cancer incidence and mortality time series data.

Cancer mortality by age

The cancer mortality by age data visualisation contains the number of cancer deaths and mortality rates by a wide range of different age groups. Median age at death is only available in Excel within the Data section of this report.

Cancer survival

The cancer survival data visualisation contains observed, relative and conditional survival rates over time. Observed and relative survival for the most recent period by 5-year age group are also provided.

Cancer prevalence time series

The cancer prevalence data visualisation provides 1-, 5- and 10-year prevalence counts and rates by age from 2000 to 2025.

Cancer by histology

The selected cancers by histology data visualisations provides cancer incidence and survival by histology for a wide range of cancers. 

Cancer by subsite

Using ICD-10 3- and 4-character coding, the cancer by subsite data visualisation provides cancer incidence and survival rates by subsite. For example, melanoma of the skin data are available by subsites such as melanoma of the trunk, of the upper limb including shoulders and other sites of the body. Data is presented by age group.

Blood cancer by histology 

The blood cancer by histology (experimental incidence and survival data) visualisation contains blood cancer incidence and survival data by histology. Histological information allows a finer level of cancer incidence and survival rates. The data, while experimental, provides survival statistics more relevant to specific diagnosis and the incidence rates for these cancers. Data is presented by age.

Cancer incidence and mortality risk

The cancer risk data visualisation contains the risk of being diagnosed and the risk of death from cancer time series. Data is presented by age. Risk data is available where it is adjusted for competing mortality and not adjusted for competing mortality.

Cancer survival by age

The cancer survival by age data visualisation contains observed and relative survival and by 20-year age groups over time. Age-adjusted survival rates over time are also available in this visualisation.

Long-term cancer incidence projections

The cancer incidence projections (2026 to 2035) page provides cancer incidence projections developed through the Nordpred software package.

Cancer incidence by country and region of birth

The cancer incidence by country and region of birth data visualisation provides the leading 20 cancers diagnosed in Australia by country and region of birth. 

The cancer incidence by country and region of birth report was released in 2024 and has not been updated with 2025 data. Data supporting the original report remains available in the Data section but more recent data is presented in this release.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms by cancer site

The neuroendocrine neoplasm by cancer site data visualisation provides neuroendocrine incidence, survival and prevalence by site statistics. 

Cancer incidence pivot table

Pivot tables that provide cancer incidence counts by 3-character ICD–10 codes are located in the Data section. Rates by age group are now available within the raw data for the pivot table but do not appear in the presented pivot table. 

CdiA core statistics part 2, cancer by stage - data updated December 2018

The latest national data are provided on cancer survival, and incidence, by stage of cancer at diagnosis for the 5 most commonly diagnosed cancers (melanoma of the skin, and breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers) in 2011. The Cancer incidence and survival by stage data visualisation remains available within this report; information remains unchanged from the previous release of this report because more recent cancer incidence and survival by stage data are not available.

Cancer data commentaries

The cancer data commentaries page contains the list of commentaries released from 2020 and includes links to the various commentaries.