Interim guidelines – choosing which mortality data source to use (2023 update)

This cancer commentary is the same as that which was released in 2022, with the exception that:

  • the recommended data source for cancers new to Cancer data in Australia report (CdiA) have been added to Appendix A. 
  • the recommended data source for some cancers has changed for several cancers (Appendix A).

The recommended data source may change between releases of the CdiA as new data may change Australian Cancer Database and National Mortality Database comparability. Please note that the 2023 release of CdiA includes a page dedicated to describing work being undertaken related to the cancer mortality project.

Cancer data commentary 8b

Previous releases of the Cancer data in Australia report (CdiA) utilised cancer mortality statistics sourced from the National Mortality Database (NMD). The 2022 release of CdiA provides users with two different sources of cancer mortality statistics (the Australian Cancer Database (ACD) and the NMD). Please read cancer data commentary number 8 for more information about the different cancer mortality sources and why the respective statistics may differ.

General advice to help people select which data source that would best meet their needs was provided within the initial release of the 2022 CdiA. This commentary provides users with more direct assistance selecting the most appropriate data source and outlines which data source AIHW would generally recommend for each specific cancer and reporting period.