Cancer Shortens Aussie Lives More Than Any Other Disease

22% Of Cases Attributed To Tobacco Use


Article heading image for Cancer Shortens Aussie Lives More Than Any Other Disease

Cancer is shaving years of Australian lives, more than any other disease according to a new analysis.

A report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows while it's burden has lessened, cancer has the biggest impact on the nation's health, accounting for one-fifth of the burden.

Other conditions like cardiovascular disease, are more common and cause a greater number of deaths but cancer results in more years of life lost due to deaths occurring in younger age groups. Five types of cancer make up half of the cancer burden, including lung, bowel, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer.

Cancer burden has lessened by 10 per cent from 2003 to 2011, however this was not true for all population groups.
It has worsened for Indigenous Australians since 2003, who are 1.7 times more likely to experience cancer than non- Indigenous Australians.

Indigenous males experienced 2.3 times the lung cancer burden of non-Indigenous males, and for Indigenous females the rate was 2.6 times as high.

Australians in remote and lower socio-economic areas also experienced greater cancer burden than other Australians.

Lung cancer was at almost twice the rate of the highest socio-economic group. 22 per cent of the total cancer burden was attributed to tobacco use. 

13 June 2017




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