Annual cancer results

Introduction

Cancer is a disease characterised by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and can infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Some known genes increase the risk of cancer in families who carry them. Cancer can also arise spontaneously due to errors in cell division or as a result of exposure to carcinogens such as tobacco smoke or ultraviolet (UV) light.

It is estimated that around one-third to half of all cancer cases could be prevented through through behaviour and lifestyle changes.^1,2 Prevention provides the most cost effective and long term sustainable strategy for cancer control with about half of the preventable cancers being attributable to tobacco use alone.^3,4 Improvements in diet and physical activity could prevent an estimated 43,000 cancer cases, about 25% of all cancers in Australia in 2025.¹ The most common preventable cancers are breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancers including melanoma of the skin, colorectal cancer and cervical cancer.

National screening programs for breast, cervical and bowel cancers, aim to reduce cancer burden through early detection.⁵ Reducing exposure to substances that cause cancer, increasing participation in screening programs and changing lifestyle factors that increase cancer risk, all provide opportunities to prevent and reduce cancer burden. To learn more about cancer population screening programs, see the Population Screening sections of this report.

This section presents the most recent annual results for cancer incidence and mortality based on the Queensland Cancer Registry.⁶ Cancer incidence and mortality describe the number or rate of new cases diagnosed or cancer deaths in a population during a given time period, defined as a calendar year in this section. Five-year survival is the percentage of people who are alive five years after their cancer diagnosis.

Cancer Incidence

In 2022, there were 35,325 new cancer cases reported in Queensland equal to a standardised incidence rate (ASR or standardised rate) of 542.2 cases per 100,000 persons (Figure 1). The number of new cancer cases for the selected cancers in this report in 2022 were 3,219 (lung), 3,216 (bowel), 3,851 (breast), 795 (pancreatic), 7,497 (prostate), 4,349 (melanoma), and 230 (cervical).⁷

Demographic differences

There are clear differences in incidence for all cancers (and individual cancers) by sex, and also by age by sex (Figure 1). Males had a 46.6% higher standardised incidence rate for all cancers (650.7 per 100,000 in males and 443.9 per 100,000 in females). Male standardised incidence rates were also higher for lung cancer (36.5% higher), colorectal cancer (17.5% higher), and melanoma (47.0% higher).

Cancer incidence rates increase markedly as people age and this is more pronounced in males than females (Figure 1). In 2022, the incidence rate for all cancers in adults 80 years and older was 64.8% higher in males than females (3,743.3 and 2,271.9 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively).⁷ The higher male incidence rates for lung cancer and melanoma, in addition to prostate cancer, contributed to this sex difference.

Cervical and prostate cancer were more common in younger age groups:

• Cervical cancer incidence rates were highest in females 40 to 59 years (16.3 per 100,000) with standardised rates in other age groups about half as high.
• Prostate cancer incidence rates were highest in males 60 to 79 years (1,176.2 per 100,000)—7.5 times higher than in 40 to 59 year olds (156.3 per 100,000).

Figure 1: Queensland cancer incidence by type, 2022

Remoteness and socioeconomic differences

Two measures that classify Queensland’s diversity are remoteness,⁸ and the area-based index of relative socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage.⁹

Remoteness

For all cancers there was little regional variation in incidence rates overall (Figure 2A).⁷ Standardised incidence rates varied by remoteness for some individual cancers, for example, prostate cancer was 28.9% higher in major cities than in remote and very remote areas (106.7 and 82.8 per 100,000 persons, respectively)(Figure 2B).

Socioeconomic status

For all cancers combined there was little variation in incidence rates by socioeconomic areas (Figure 2A). Standardised incidence rates for some individual cancers did vary by socioeconomic areas (Figure 2C).⁷ For example:

• Lung cancer incidence was 80.8% higher in the most disadvantaged areas than in the most advantaged areas (63.1 and 34.9 per 100,000 persons, respectively).
• Prostate cancer incidence was 29.9% higher in the most advantaged areas than the most disadvantaged areas (122.8 and 94.5 per 100,000 persons, respectively).
• Breast cancer incidence was 29.3% higher in the most advantaged areas than the most disadvantaged areas (74.5 and 57.6 per 100,000 persons, respectively).

Figure 2: Queensland cancer incidence rates by remoteness and socioeconomic status, 2022

Cancer mortality

In 2022, there were 10,363 cancer deaths reported in Queensland equivalent to a standardised mortality rate of 152.7 deaths per 100,000 persons (Figure 3). The number of deaths in 2022 for the selected cancers in this report were 2,247 (lung), 1,118 (bowel), 587 (breast), 727 (pancreatic), 758 (prostate), 366 (melanoma), and 59 (cervical), representing about half of cancer deaths annually.⁷

Demographic differences

There are clear differences in mortality for all cancers, and for individual cancers, by sex and by age and sex. Males had a 50.4% higher standardised mortality rate for all cancers (186.7 per 100,000 in males and 124.1 per 100,000 in females). Male standardised mortality rates were also higher for lung cancer (58.0% higher), colorectal cancer (30.1% higher), and melanoma (3.0 times higher).

Cancer mortality rates increase markedly in older age groups and differences between males and females are evident (Figure 3). For example, in 2022, standardised mortality rates for those 80 years and older for:

• all cancers were 75.5% higher in males than females (2,420.9 per 100,000 for males and 1,379.7 for females)
• lung cancer was 85.0% higher in males than females (447.7 per 100,000 for and 242.0 for females)
• melanoma was 3.4 times higher in males than females (118.4 per 100,000 for males and 34.6 for females).

Figure 3: Queensland cancer mortality by type, 2022

Remoteness and socioeconomic differences

In 2022, cancer mortality was broadly similar across remoteness areas (Figure 4A, 4B).

Socioeconomic status

In 2022, the standardised mortality rate per 100,000 persons for all cancers was 38.8% higher in the most disadvantaged areas (172.1 in the most disadvantaged areas and 124.0 in the most advantaged areas). Similar variablity was evident by age group (Figure 4C).

Standardised mortality rates for some individual cancers varied by socioeconomic status (Figure 4):

• Lung cancer was 2.0 times higher in disadvantaged areas (40.7 per 100,000 persons in the most disadvantaged areas and 19.9 per 100,000 persons in the most advantaged areas).
• Colorectal cancer was 45.7% higher in disadvantaged areas (18.5 per 100,000 persons in the most disadvantaged areas and 12.7 per 100,000 persons in the most advantaged areas).

Figure 4: Queensland cancer mortality rates by remoteness and socioeconomic status, 2022

Cancer survival

In Queensland the 5-year survival for all cancers for the period 2018–2022 was 65.7% (Figure 5)⁷ in line with national results for 2016–2020 (63.7%). Queensland and national survival were also similar for 1-year survival (83.6% and 82.2%, respectively) and 2-year survival (76.8% and 75.0%, respectively).¹⁰

While survival percentages (1, 2 and 5-year) vary by cancer type, 5-year survival was highest for breast cancer (86.3%) followed by melanoma (85.2%). The lowest 5-year survival percentages were for pancreatic cancer (12.5%) and lung cancer (25.8%).

Figure 5: Queensland cancer survival, 2018–2022

Remoteness and socioeconomic differences

Remoteness

For all cancers, the 5-year survival percentage for the period 2018–2022 was 10.2% higher in major cities (67.1% in major cities and 60.9% in remote and very remote areas) (Figure 6).

Most cancers showed little variability by remoteness area. The largest differences in 5-year survival were for lung cancer with 5-year survival in major cities 14.2% higher than in remote areas (28.1% and 24.6%, respectively) and cervical cancer which was 27.9% higher (82.0% in major cities and 64.1 remote areas).

Socioeconomic status

For all cancers, the 5-year survival percentage for the period 2018–2022 was 24.3% higher in advantaged areas (73.7% in the most advantaged areas and 59.3% in the most disadvantaged areas) (Figure 6).

Some cancers showed considerable variability by socioeconomic status. The largest differences in 5-year survival were for lung cancer with 5-year survival in most advantaged areas 49.1% higher than in most disadvantaged areas (32.8% and 22.0%, respectively), breast cancer (10.7% higher), cervical cancer (17.4% higher) and prostate cancer (9.3% higher).

Figure 6: Queensland 5-year cancer survival by remoteness and socioeconomic status, 2018–2022

Additional information

Data and statistics

Visit Cancer Alliance Queensland (CAQ) to:

• learn more about accessing cancer statistics
• explore the CAQ data dashboards

Information and strategies

Visit Queensland Cancer screening for more information about cancer screening services.

Section technical notes

• Prostate and cervical cancers occur only in males and females respectively. Where rates are provided for “persons” for these cancers it is done for comparative purposes.
• 5-year cancer survival was calculated using the Observed method of survival calculation for both Queensland and Australia.
• Comparisons are made of incidence rates for Queensland obtained from the Queensland Cancer Register¹¹ and for Australia obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.¹² It is acknowledged that there will be minor differences in case numbers due to data collection methods. The maximum error between sources in most recent years was estimated to be +/- 1-2% (for rates).

References

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2. Schüz J, Espina C and Wild CP. 2019. Primary prevention: a need for concerted action, Molecular Oncology, 13(3):567–578, doi:10.1002/1878-0261.12432.
3. Pelosi E, Castelli G and Testa U. 2019. Understanding mechanisms of cancer initiation and development supports the need for an implementation of primary and secondary cancer prevention, Annali dell’Istituto Superiore Di Sanita, 55(4):371–379, doi:10.4415/ANN_19_04_11.
4. Schüz J, Espina C and Wild CP. 2019. Primary prevention: a need for concerted action, Molecular Oncology, 13(3):567–578, doi:10.1002/1878-0261.12432.
5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2021. Cancer in Australia 2021, doi:10.25816/YE05-NM50.
6. Queensland Health, Brisbane. 2023. Queensland Cancer Register: Cancer Alliance Queensland, https://cancerallianceqld.health.qld.gov.au/, accessed 1 November 2022.
7. Queensland Health, Brisbane. 2023. Queensland Cancer Register: Cancer Alliance Queensland, https://cancerallianceqld.health.qld.gov.au/, accessed 1 November 2022.
8. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Remoteness Areas, ASGS Edition 3 Remoteness Areas, Reference period: July 2021-June 2026, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/standards/australian-statistical-geography-standard-asgs-edition-3/jul2021-jun2026/remoteness-structure/remoteness-areas, accessed 8 July 2023.
9. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2018. Socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) 2016, 2033.0.55.001 - Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2016, https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2033.0.55.001, accessed 1 October 2022.
10. Cancer Data in Australia. 2024., https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia, accessed 19 May 2023.
11. Queensland Health, Brisbane. 2023. Queensland Cancer Register: Cancer Alliance Queensland, https://cancerallianceqld.health.qld.gov.au/, accessed 1 November 2022.
12. Australia C. 2022. Cancer in Australia statistics, https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/impacted-cancer/what-cancer/cancer-australia-statistics#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20it%20is%20estimated%20that%20there%20will%20be%2049%2C996,or%2013%25%20for%20females).