CANCER

Cancer is a condition in which the body's cells grow and spread in an uncontrolled manner. A cancerous cell can arise from almost any type of tissue cell, and therefore cancer can be found almost anywhere in the body¹.

PEOPLE WITH CANCER

In 2014-15, 1.6% of Australians (373,400 people) reported that they had been told by a doctor or nurse that they have cancer and that it is current and long-term, similar to the 2011-12 National Health Survey: First Results (1.5% or 326,600 people).

Of all people with cancer, 72.8% had consulted a GP in the last 12 months for their condition while 76.6% had consulted a specialist. Proportionally, more people with cancer had consulted a specialist in the last 12 months for their condition than people with any of the other long-term health conditions published in this release (which ranged between 6.0% and 49.1%).

In the last 12 months, 29.6% of all people with cancer had consulted an other type of health professional, with proportionally more females than males having consulted an other type of health professional (38.8% and 23.3% respectively).

Of all people with cancer who were currently employed or studying/at school, almost one-third (34.7%) had time off work or study/school in the last 12 months due to their condition. This was also proportionally more than people with any of the other long-term health conditions published in this release (ranging between 3.2% and 28.2%).

CANCER TESTING

Early detection of cancer increases the chance of treatment being effective. There are a number of different types of cancers for which people can be screened. In the National Health Survey, respondents were asked whether they had ever been tested for specific types of cancer, including bowel, breast (females only), cervical (females only) and prostate (males only).

In 2014-15, 61.6% of Australians aged 18 years and over reported having ever been tested for any type of cancer (almost 11 million Australians). This was an increase from 54.7% in 2011-12. Of these, 8.1 million persons were tested in the last 2 years.

This increase from 2011-12 to 2014-15 was strongest in the older age groups, with 82.6% of Australians aged 75 years and over reporting having been tested for any type of cancer in 2014-15, compared with 69.0% in 2011-12; followed by 85.5% of persons aged 55 to 64 in 2014-15 compared with 76.1% in 2011-12.

Screening programs for most types of cancer in Australia are aimed at persons 50 years and over. In 2014-15, of all persons aged 50 years and over, 84.3% (6.3 million persons) had been tested for cancer at some time in the past and 62.9% in the 2 years prior to the survey. This has increased since 2011-12, when 73.9% of all persons aged 50 years and over had been tested for cancer at some time in the past and 52.8% in the 2 years prior to the survey.





In 2014-15 4.6 million persons aged 18 years and over (25.7%) had been tested for bowel cancer. From age 50, it is recommended that people at average risk screen for bowel cancer every two years². Of persons aged 50 years and over, 51.9% had been tested for bowel cancer at some time in the past (29.7% of those aged 50 years and over had been tested in the last 2 years). Within this age group, men were more likely to have been tested than women (54.8% and 49.1% respectively). This was an increase from 2011-12 when 33.6% of males and 27.3% of females aged 50 years and over had ever been tested for bowel cancer. People aged 55 - 74 years old were the most likely age group to be tested in 2014-15 (56%).





In 2014-15 4.2 million women aged 18 years and over had been tested for breast cancer. BreastScreen Australia invites women aged between 50 and 74 to have a mammogram every two years³. Of all women aged 50 years and over, 77.1% had been tested for breast cancer at some time in the past. This was an increase from 2011-12 (64.4%). Of all women aged 50 - 74 years, over half (55.4%) had been tested for breast cancer in the past two years.

Prostate cancer is more common in men aged over 50 years and regular discussions with GPs are recommended⁴. In 2014-15, 58.2% of all men aged 50 years and over had been tested for prostate cancer at some time in the past (2.1 million men). This was an increase from 2011-12 (48.4%). Of these 2.1 million men, 1.4 million had been tested in the last 2 years (40% of all men aged 50 years and over).





Almost 6 million women aged 18 years and over (65.1%) had been tested for cervical cancer at some time prior to the 2014-15 survey. Of these, 41.7% had been tested in the last two years. The age group most likely to have been tested were those aged 45-64 years (77.3%). Of all women aged 50 years and over, 70.5% had been tested for cervical cancer at some time in the past, with 35.4% tested in the last two years. This was an increase from 2011-12, where 59.5% of all women aged 50 years and over had been tested for cervical cancer at some time in the past. Almost half (49.8%) of all women aged 18-34 years had been tested for cervical cancer, significantly higher than any other type of cancer testing for that age group.


Endnotes:
1. Cancer Council Australia, Mar 2016, What is cancer?, <http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/>, Last accessed 25/01/2017.
2. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners <http://www.racgp.org.au/your-practice/guidelines/redbook/9-early-detection-of-cancers/92-colorectal-cancer/>, accessed 22/03/2017
3. BreastScreen Australia, <http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au/internet/screening/publishing.nsf/Content/breast-screening-1>, Last accessed 14/03/2017
4. Cancer Council Australia, Aug 2016, Prostrate cancer, <http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/early-detection/early-detection-factsheets/prostate-cancer.html>, Last accessed 30/01/2017.