Lung cancer – incidence and mortality

Lung cancer – incidence and mortality

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    • Lung cancer is the fourth most common cancer in both males and females in the ACT. It is the most common cause of death from cancer in males and the second most common in females (after breast cancer).
    • In 2020 there were 150 new cases diagnosed in ACT residents (56.0% in males and 44.0% in females). The age-standardised incidence rate in 2020 was 33.5 cases per 100,000 people (41.6 for males and 27.1 for females) compared to 42.7 per 100,000 people for Australia in 2020 (49.5 for males and 37.1 for females)*.1,2
    • The decline in lung cancer rates over time clearly illustrates the effect of reducing a modifiable risk. Lung cancer incidence in males has significantly decreased. However, the picture for females is quite different, with a small increase that is approaching statistical significance. The difference reflects historical differences in smoking behaviour. While not all lung cancers are caused by smoking, it is the most important risk behaviour.3
    • In 2020, 99 people (59.6% males and 40.4% females) who lived in the ACT at the time of their lung cancer diagnosis died from lung cancer. The age-standardised mortality rate for the ACT was 21.7 deaths per 100,000 people (28.9 for males and 16.1 for females) compared to 26.4 deaths per 100,000 people for Australia in 2020 (32.0 for males and 21.8 for females).1,2
    • Five-year relative survival for lung cancer has improved over time, from 14.5% in the period 1988–1997 to 20.9% for the period 2008–2017. Females had better survival (25%) than males (17%). People under the age of 65 had better survival than those aged 65 and over (27% and 18%, respectively). Despite the improvement over time, lung cancer remains a major cause of cancer mortality.1-8 Treatment remains difficult, though recently outcomes of treatments for lung cancer have shown significant progress.9

     

     

    *The national 2020 cancer incidence data reported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare are estimates based on previous years’ trends. By contrast, all ACT-specific incidence data reported here utilise actual ACT data.

     

    References

    1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Cancer data in Australia. Canberra: AIHW; 2023 [cited 2023 Sep 24]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia/data

    2. ACT Cancer Registry. Canberra: ACT Cancer Registry; 2023 (unpublished data).

    3. O'Keeffe LM, Taylor G, Huxley RR, Mitchell P, Woodward M, Peters SAE. Smoking as a risk factor for lung cancer in women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open 2018; 8(10):e021611.

    4. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2015-2017. Canberra: ABS; 2019 [cited 2023 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3302.0.55.001Main+Features12015-2017?OpenDocument=.

    5. ABS. Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2014-2016. Canberra: ABS; 2018 [cited 2023 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3302.0.55.001Main+Features12014-2016?OpenDocument=.

    6. ABS. Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2013-2015. Canberra: ABS; 2017 [cited 2023 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3302.0.55.001Main+Features12013-2015?OpenDocument=.

    7. ABS. Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2012-2014. Canberra: ABS; 2016 [cited 2023 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3302.0.55.001Main+Features12012-2014?OpenDocument=.

    8. ABS. Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2011-2013. Canberra: ABS; 2015 [cited 2023 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3302.0.55.001Main+Features12011-2013?OpenDocument=.

    9. Schenk EL, Patil T, Pacheco J, Bunn PA Jr. 2020 Innovation-Based Optimism for Lung Cancer Outcomes. Oncologist 2021; 26(3): e454-e472.

     

    The authors wish to thank the Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Coroners and the National Coronial Information System for enabling the cause of death unit record file data to be used for this publication.

     

    To access the data please click on the "View source data" link at the bottom of the visualisation. This link will open up a data table that you can download.