Australia Takes Lead In Reducing Cancer Deaths

A new report, Cancer in Australia 2001, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, that shows Australia has a lower cancer death rate than several other developed nations has been welcomed by The Cancer Council Australia, which attributed much of the good news to population initiatives in prevention and early diagnosis, and good access through Australia’s health system to advances in treatment. The US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, all recorded higher mortality rates than Australia.

The Cancer Council’s spokesman, Dr Andrew Penman, said the cancer death rate in Australia had fallen 17 per cent over 10 years and was now at its lowest level since records began in the 1970s.’A significant part of Australia’s success has been due to comprehensive programs in prevention and early detection’, Dr Penman said. ‘Our low death rate from lung cancer and other tobacco related cancer is a dividend from three decades of tobacco control which has seen smoking rates drop to the lower levels than comparison countries; while our comprehensive approach to screening for breast and cervical cancer means that our outcomes for these cancers compares very favourably.’Prevention has delivered extraordinary value for money,’ Dr. Penman said. ‘When you look at Australia’s lower rates of lung cancer incidence and mortality the argument is compelling- our death rates are 32 per cent lower than the US for males and a staggering 48 per cent for females. Although at 19,000 deaths from tobacco related disease each year, Australia still has a long way to go.’While welcoming the declining death rates, Dr Penman also sounded a note of warning about cancers where mortality or incidence are higher than in other countries. ‘Australia, because of its climate and lifestyle, leads the world in its high rates of melanoma yet this is one cancer whose rates could be substantially reduced by effective sun protection. The good news from melanoma, is that, through early detection, we achieve a much higher survival than other countries. For instance percentage of people who survive melanoma in Australia to almost double that of the US.’Dr Penman said that Australia’s good performance is not uniform across all cancers. ‘In contrast to our success in cervical and breast cancers, we have very high death rates from bowel cancer. An absolute priority for the nation is to expedite the rollout of a national bowel screening program, to which the Federal Government has declared its commitment.’Dr Penman also welcomed the advances in cancer treatment which are making an independent contribution to survival. ‘Alongside dramatic new treatments such as Glivec, for uncommon cancers, there are steady improvements in the treatment outcomes in the common cancers such as prostate and breast cancer. Australia’s system of health care, and the access it provides to new pharmaceutical agents plays an important role in distributing the benefits of research breakthroughs to patients.'(Source: Cancer Council: December 2004.)