Lung cancer statistics
Lung cancer in Australia: an overview is the first comprehensive report of national statistics on lung cancer in Australia.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death nationally, accounting for 21 per cent of all cancer deaths in men and 17 per cent in women in 2007.
The report shows the number of new lung cancers increased markedly in both sexes between 1982 and 2000. The rate of new cases of lung cancer among women has risen while the rates for men have fallen.
Tobacco smoking continues to be the largest single cause of lung cancer, responsible for about 90 per cent of lung cancers in men and 65 per cent in women.
While survival has improved over the last 26 years, it still remains very low. The 5-year relative survival for lung cancer was 11 per cent for men and 15 per cent for women between 2000 and 2007, compared to 8 per cent and 10 per cent for men and women respectively in the 1982-1987 period.
- Read the full media release: Lung cancer rates up for women, down for men, survival slightly better.
- View the Cancer Australia and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report Lung cancer in Australia: an overview
Cancer Australia has also released the Report to the Nation – Lung Cancer 2011 (PDF 1.7MB). This report provides a concise summary of national statistics on lung cancer in Australia drawn from Lung cancer in Australia: an overview.
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