3303.0 - Causes of Death, Australia, 2006 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/03/2008   
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Contents >> Underlying Cause of Death >> Cancer (C00-D48)

CANCER (C00-D48)

In 2006, Cancer (C00-D48) was the underlying cause of 39,753 registered deaths in Australia. This accounted for 30% of all registered deaths. The ratio of male (22,387) to female (17,366) deaths in 2006 remained at 128.9 males per 100 females. The median age of persons dying from Malignant cancers (C00-C97) has continued to rise from 72 years in 1997 to 74.9 years in 2006. Deaths due to Malignant cancers account for 38,721 deaths or 98% of all cancers.


Cancers of the digestive organs (C15-C26) accounted for 10,885 deaths. Of these, Colon cancer constituted the largest number of deaths with 2,432. This represented a decrease of 7.8% from 2005 (2,637). The median age at death for people dying of colon cancer was 74.2 years for males and 79.3 for females, with the largest number of deaths occurring between 75 and 84 years of age for both males and females.


Pancreatic cancer (C25) was the second highest contributor to deaths from Cancers of the digestive organs, accounting for 2,076 deaths. There is little difference between the number of males (1,047) and females (1,029) with pancreatic cancer as the underlying cause of death however, the median age of males dying of Pancreatic cancer (72.9) is lower than for females (77.7) dying of the same cause.


There were 7,623 deaths attributed to Cancers of the respiratory system and heart (C30-C39), accounting for 20% of all malignant cancers. Lung cancer (C34) was the underlying cause of 7,342 (96%) deaths due to cancers of the respiratory system and heart. The male to female ratio of deaths with Lung cancer as the underlying cause of death, has dropped from 221.2 male deaths per 100 females in 1997 to 173.7 male deaths per 100 females in 2006. However, since 1997 the number of female deaths from this cause has increased by 635 while the number of male deaths has increased by 128. Males whose underlying cause of death was Lung cancer, had a higher median age at death (73.4) than females (72.8) with the same underlying cause.


Prostate cancer (C61) was the underlying cause of 4.3% of all male deaths registered in 2006. Male deaths with this underlying cause have increased gradually from 2,446 in 1997 to 2,946 in 2005, remaining consistent at 2,952 in 2006. The median age at death for Prostate cancer is 80.4 years. This is close to the median age for all deaths (80.3 years) and continues to follow the steady upward trend from 78.5 years in 1997.


In females, Breast cancer (C50) have fallen from 2,719 in 2005 to 2,618 in 2006. The 2006 figure has brought data close to 1997 levels when the number of female deaths due to Breast cancer was 2,609. The female median age at death was 68.3 years, 7.9 years lower than males (76.3) and 14.9 years lower than the median age for all female deaths (83.3 years).

2.3 Selected Underlying Causes, Cancer (C00-D48) - 2006

Males
Females
Persons
Proportion of all deaths
Cause of Death and ICD Code
no.
no.
no.
%

CHAPTER II Neoplasms (C00-D48)
22 387
17 366
39 753
29.7
Malignant neoplasms (C00-C97)
21 858
16 863
38 721
29.0
Malignant neoplasms of lip, oral cavity and pharynx (C00-C14)
451
162
613
0.5
Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of tongue (C02)
95
49
144
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of mouth (C06)
38
22
60
-
Malignant neoplasm of tonsil (C09)
48
10
58
-
Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the lip, oral cavity and pharynx (C14)
69
18
87
0.1
Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs (C15-C26)
6 161
4 724
10 885
8.1
Malignant neoplasm of oesophagus (C15)
812
359
1 171
0.9
Malignant neoplasm of stomach (C16)
669
448
1 117
0.8
Malignant neoplasm of small intestine (C17)
46
45
91
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of colon (C18)
1 298
1 134
2 432
1.8
Malignant neoplasm of rectosigmoid junction (C19)
390
279
669
0.5
Malignant neoplasm of rectum (C20)
438
262
700
0.5
Malignant neoplasm of anus and anal canal (C21)
23
34
57
-
Malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (C22)
720
352
1 072
0.8
Malignant neoplasm of gallbladder (C23)
43
113
156
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of biliary tract (C24)
30
52
82
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of pancreas (C25)
1 047
1 029
2 076
1.6
Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined digestive organs (C26)
645
617
1 262
0.9
Malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs (C30-C39)
4 899
2 724
7 623
5.7
Malignant neoplasm of larynx (C32)
184
20
204
0.2
Malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung (C34)
4 659
2 683
7 342
5.5
Malignant neoplasms of bone and articular cartilage (C40-C41)
50
35
85
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of other and unspecified sites (C41)
41
30
71
0.1
Melanoma and other malignant neoplasms of skin (C43-C44)
1 062
586
1 648
1.2
Malignant melanoma of skin (C43)
786
452
1 238
0.9
Other malignant neoplasms of skin (C44)
276
134
410
0.3
Malignant neoplasms of mesothelial and soft tissue (C45-C49)
520
262
782
0.6
Mesothelioma (C45)
401
85
486
0.4
Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum (C48)
10
62
72
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of other connective and soft tissue (C49)
107
110
217
0.2
Malignant neoplasm of breast (C50)
25
2 618
2 643
2.0
Malignant neoplasm of breast (C50)
25
2 618
2 643
2.0
Malignant neoplasms of female genital organs (C51-C58)
-
1 454
1 454
1.1
Malignant neoplasm of vulva (C51)
-
63
63
-
Malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri (C53)
-
224
224
0.2
Malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri (C54)
-
186
186
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of uterus, part unspecified (C55)
-
158
158
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of ovary (C56)
-
795
795
0.6
Malignant neoplasms of male genital organs (C60-C63)
2 993
-
2 993
2.2
Malignant neoplasm of prostate (C61)
2 952
-
2 952
2.2
Malignant neoplasms of urinary tract (C64-C68)
1 196
652
1 848
1.4
Malignant neoplasm of kidney, except renal pelvis (C64)
542
327
869
0.6
Malignant neoplasm of bladder (C67)
610
286
896
0.7
Malignant neoplasms of eye, brain and other parts of central nervous system (C69-C72)
644
465
1 109
0.8
Malignant neoplasm of brain (C71)
622
434
1 056
0.8
Malignant neoplasms of thyroid and other endocrine glands (C73-C75)
80
97
177
0.1
Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland (C73)
49
64
113
0.1
Malignant neoplasms of ill-defined, secondary and unspecified sites (C76-C80)
1 344
1 298
2 642
2.0
Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites (C76)
48
97
145
0.1
Secondary malignant neoplasm of respiratory and digestive organs (C78)
72
85
157
0.1
Secondary malignant neoplasm of other sites (C79)
np
39
np
np
Malignant neoplasm without specification of site (C80)
1 165
1 077
2 242
1.7
Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue (C81-C96)
2 084
1 609
3 693
2.8
Hodgkin's disease (C81)
32
21
53
-
Diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (C83)
122
48
170
0.1
Peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (C84)
50
37
87
0.1
Other and unspecified types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (C85)
609
541
1 150
0.9
Multiple myeloma and malignant plasma cell neoplasms (C90)
399
320
719
0.5
Lymphoid leukaemia (C91)
247
170
417
0.3
Myeloid leukaemia (C92)
521
375
896
0.7
Leukaemia of unspecified cell type (C95)
53
56
109
0.1
Malignant neoplasms of independent (primary) multiple sites (C97)
349
177
526
0.4
Malignant neoplasms of independent (primary) multiple sites (C97)
349
177
526
0.4
Other Neoplasms (D00-D48)
529
503
1 032
0.8
Benign neoplasms (D10-D36)
51
77
128
0.1
Benign neoplasm of meninges (D32)
31
44
75
0.1
Neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour (D37-D48)
475
422
897
0.7
Neoplasm of uncertain or unknown behaviour of oral cavity and digestive organs (D37)
28
25
53
-
Neoplasm of uncertain or unknown behaviour of brain and central nervous system (D43)
90
78
168
0.1
Myelodysplastic syndromes (D46)
218
177
395
0.3
Other neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue (D47)
70
72
142
0.1

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated




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