Mortality
In 2011–2015, 2,754 Indigenous Australians died from cancer—an average of 551 deaths per year.
Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Cancer type rankings varied for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Higher ranks of some cancers for Indigenous Australians may be partly explained by their greater likelihood of being diagnosed with cancers where the prospect of successful treatment and survival is poorer [1,2,3] or by being diagnosed at an advanced stage, as well as their lesser likelihood of receiving adequate treatment [4,5].
Explore the data below for information on incidence rankings by sex.
Age group
In 2011–2015, the age-specific mortality rate for all cancers combined increased with age for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The age-specific mortality rate was similar or higher in Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians for all age groups.
Explore the data below for information on mortality by cancer type, sex, Indigenous status and age group.
Trend
Between 1998 and 2015, the age-standardised mortality rate for all cancers combined ranged from 195 to 246 per 100,000 for Indigenous Australians. During the same period, the rate for non-Indigenous Australians decreased from 194 to 164 per 100,000. Estimated trend lines indicate a significant increase in the all cancers combined mortality rate for Indigenous Australians. Estimated trend lines indicate a significant decrease in the all cancers combined mortality rate for non-Indigenous Australians.
Data for individual years have been presented for trend figures to demonstrate the variation in rates from year to year. Estimated trend lines have been applied to figures based on a least-squares regression equation where trends were found to be statistically significant. Differences between the rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians may be related to a range of factors including differences between the two populations in the prevalence of risk and/or protective factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, access to health-care services and uptake of screening and diagnostics testing.
Explore the data below for information on mortality by cancer type, sex, Indigenous status and year.
State and territory
In 2011–2015, for the jurisdictions for which data were available (see Summary or Notes section for details), the age-standardised mortality rate for all cancers combined ranged from 169 per 100,000 to 331 per 100,000 for Indigenous Australians. For non-Indigenous Australians, the age-standardised mortality rate ranged from 157 per 100,000 to 187 per 100,000.
Observed differences may be due to differences in population characteristics, for example, Indigenous Australians are more likely to live in remote areas of Australia than non-Indigenous people.
Explore the data below for information on mortality by cancer type, sex, Indigenous status and state and territory.
Remoteness area
In 2011–2015, the age-standardised mortality rate for all cancers combined ranged from 159 per 100,000 to 245 per 100,000 across remoteness areas for Indigenous Australians. For non-Indigenous Australians, the mortality rate ranged from 118 per 100,000 to 139 per 100,000 across remoteness areas.
Explore the data below for information on mortality by cancer type, sex, Indigenous status and remoteness area.
References
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Condon J, Armstrong B, Barnes A & Cunningham J 2003. Cancer in Indigenous Australians: a review. Cancer Causes Control 14:109–21.
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Condon J, Zhang X, Baade P, Griffiths K, Cunningham J, Roder D et al. 2014. Cancer survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a national study of survival rates and excess mortality. Population Health Metrics 12:1.
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Threlfall TJ & Thompson JR 2009. Cancer incidence and mortality in Western Australia, 2007. Perth: Western Australian Department of Health.
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AIHW 2016. Australia’s health 2016. Australia’s health series no. 15. Cat. no. AUS 199. Canberra: AIHW.
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Cunningham J, Rumbold AR, Zhang X & Condon JR 2008. Incidence, aetiology and outcomes of cancer in Indigenous people in Australia. Lancet Oncology 9:585–95.