Content
Cancer
- » What is cancer?
- » The burden of cancer in Australia
- » Cancer as a National Health Priority Area (NHPA)
- » NHMRC funding into cancer research
- » References
What is cancer?
Cancer is a diverse range of diseases in which groups of cells grow uncontrolled, invade and damage adjacent tissues and sometimes spread to other parts of the body, causing further damage (metastasis). Most cancers give rise to tumours but some, such as leukaemia, do not.
Cancers are caused by mutations in the cancer cells' genetic material. These can be caused by environmental factors such as tobacco smoking, radiation, chemicals and substances like asbestos, and infectious agents such as viruses. Some cancers occur because of inherited genetic faults, others by randomly acquired errors in DNA replication.
The burden of cancer in Australia
According to the Cancer Council of Australia: [1]
- An estimated 106,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Australia each year.
- 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85.
- Cancer is the leading cause of death in Australia – more than 39,000 people are estimated to die from cancer each year.
- More than 60% of cancer patients will survive more than five years after diagnosis.
- The survival rate for many common cancers has increased by more than 30 per cent in the past two decades.
- The most common cancers in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) are prostate, colorectal (bowel), breast, melanoma and lung cancer.
- About 374,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer (the most frequently occurring cancer in Australia, but the least life-threatening) are also diagnosed each year.
- Cancer costs $2.7 billion in direct health system costs (5.7%).
- $215 million was spent on cancer research in 2000-01, 18% of all health research expenditure in Australia.
In 2003 cancer was responsible for 19% of the total burden of disease and injury in Australia, with lung, colon, breast and prostate cancers accounting for half of this burden. Other than the sex specific cancers (breast and gynaecological cancers in females and prostate cancer in males), men generally have a greater share of the burden from colon and lung cancer.
Cancer as a National Health Priority Area (NHPA)
In 1996, Australian Health Ministers announced cancer as a National Health Priority Area in recognition of the significant burden that cancer places on the Australian community in terms of health, social, economic and emotional costs.
NHMRC funding into cancer research
NHMRC has invested over $566.2 million for cancer research from 2000 to 2007.
| Year | Funding ($m) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 27.8 |
| 2001 | 40.5 |
| 2002 | 52.0 |
| 2003 | 68.0 |
| 2004 | 72.6 |
| 2005 | 87.5 |
| 2006 | 99.1 |
| 2007 | 118.6 |
» More information on cancer-related grants
References
- Cancer Council Australia - Facts and figures (data compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Association of Cancer Registries)