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Facts and Figures • There are some factors in our environment that we know are cancer-causing or promoting: tobacco smoke; ultraviolet radiation from sunlight; industrial chemicals such as in uranium mines; asbestos; benzene; viruses e.g. HIV; Hepatitis B; HPV; and genetics. • The main methods of treating cancer are: surgery; radiotherapy; chemotherapy; and hormone therapy. Often, more than one of these treatments may be used depending on the type of cancer, where it is, the age of the person and his/her general state of health. • Up to 23% of cancers in the poor nations are caused by infections, compared to about 8% in wealthier countries. • 30% of cancers could be cured if caught early enough by screening, particularly cervical and breast cancers. • Australia suffers the highest rate of skin cancer in the world but the easiest preventative action is to stay out of the sun and cover up with a hat, shirt and sunscreen. • By 2020 there will be a 50% increase in the number of people diagnosed with cancer worldwide unless steps are taken now. • We can prevent a third of cancers, we can probably cure a third
of cancers and for the remainder we can certainly do something
for quality
of life
if pain management is adequate. • Eating a higher intake of fruit and vegetables, getting a proper diet, moderating your alcohol intake and cutting out the cigarettes are the keys not only to avoiding cancer but to living longer generally. • Tobacco consumption remains the most important avoidable cancer risk. In the 20th century, approximately 100 million people died worldwide from tobacco-associated diseases (cancer, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke). Half of regular smokers are killed by the habit; one quarter will die prematurely during middle age (35-69 years). • The main reasons for the greater cancer burden of affluent societies are the earlier onset of the tobacco epidemic, the earlier exposure to occupational carcinogens, and the Western nutrition and lifestyle. However, with increasing wealth and industrialisation, many countries undergo rapid lifestyle changes that will greatly increase their future disease burden. • As developing countries succeed in achieving lifestyles
similar to Europe, North America, Australia, New
Zealand and Japan,
they will
also encounter
much higher cancer rates, particularly cancers of
the breast, colon, prostate and uterus (endometrial carcinoma). • About 270,000 people in Australia have cancer, a figure projected to increase to exceed 350,000 by 2011. • For Australian women, the most common cancers in 2001 were breast cancer (29% of all new cases), colorectal (14%), melanoma (10%) and lung (7%). For men, the most common cancers in 2001 were prostate cancer (23%), colorectal (15%), lung (11%) and melanoma (11%). • Australian men have a one-in-three chance of developing cancer by age 75, while women have a one-in-four chance. But the number of deaths in Australia, compared to the number of cases diagnosed, is lower than in the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. • Cancer is the leading cause of death in Australia, with almost 38,000 deaths from malignant cancer each year. But survival rates are improving steadily each year and there are measures people can take to lower the risk of developing many types of the disease. • According to the Cancer Council Australia, at least one in three cancer cases are preventable, and the number of cancer deaths could be almost halved by the implementation of effective cancer prevention programs. More than 15,500 cancer deaths each year are due to smoking, sun exposure, poor diet, alcohol, inadequate exercise or being overweight. • AIHW statistics suggest that of the 90,000 new cases of malignant cancer per year, 12.5% are attributed to smoking and 3.2% to excessive alcohol consumption. • There are almost 38,000 deaths from malignant cancer each year in Australia, with a 36% increase in new cases over the 10 years from 1991 to 2001 – in which time the population increased by 12%. • The risk of developing a malignant cancer in Australia is 1 in 3 for males and 1 in 4 for females by 75 years of age; 1 in 2 for males and 1 in 2.6 for females by 85 years of age. • The risk of dying from a malignant cancer is 1 in 7 for males and 1 in 11 for females by 75 years of age; 1 in 3.5 for males and 1 in 5.5 for females by 85 years of age. • In 2001, the average age of first diagnosis was 66 years for males and 64 years for females. |
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