NEW research reveals decades of cancer control efforts are paying off, with more than 230,000 lives saved in Australia as a result of prevention measures, early diagnosis and improved treatment.
The researchers, led by Cancer Council Victoria, said these figures prove the importance of sustained cancer control investment in both primary and secondary prevention, as the Australian health care sector prepares for cancer incidence to increase by about 50 per cent between 2020 and 2044.
The team used data from the World Health Organization's Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN), analysed age-standardised cancer mortality rates from 1950 to 2018, and found more than 230,000 deaths have been avoided to date.
Almost two -thirds (65%) of the avoided deaths occurred in the final 10 years of the study period (between 2009 to 2018), showing progress in the fight against cancer has accelerated and continued.
Deputy Head of Cancer Epidemiology at Cancer Council Victoria and lead researcher Associate Professor Brigid Lynch said the study was about better understanding the real-world impacts of decades of Australian cancer-control methods.
"What we're seeing is a snowball effect - we're now seeing the result of investments made in cancer control over the many decades," Associate Professor Lynch said.
There was a substantial decrease in the mortality from lung cancer, rates of which have been dropping since the 1980s, reflecting the success of anti-smoking campaigns.
"Quit campaigns in the 1980s impacted smoking prevalence and led to a drop in lung cancer deaths," Assoc Prof Lynch said.
"We've also seen the mortality rate drop markedly for breast, cervical and stomach cancer.
"While we know more women are diagnosed with breast cancer today because of increased screening, thanks to early detection and improved treatment options, that mortality rate is falling."
However, not all cancers are following this trend, and the mortality rates for liver and brain cancer were continuing to rise - trends seen globally.
More than half of liver cancer case are related to hepatitis B and C viruses, with a societal increase in alcohol use, obesity and metabolic disease also contributing to the issue.
The researchers called for continued investment in prevention, early detection, and new treatments for cancer.
"We are anticipating a significant increase of cancer incidence over the coming years due to our ageing and growing population," Assoc Prof Lynch said.
"Prevention is the only way we can reduce the health, social and economic burden of cancer and protect our health care system."
Read the study HERE. KB
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