Conditional survival for all cancers combined
In the period 2013–2017, the conditional 5-year survival for all cancers combined increased as the number of years already survived increased, from 1 year (82%) to 3 years (90%) and 5 years (92%).1 This shows that the longer a person has already survived after being diagnosed with cancer, the higher the likelihood of survival for another 5 years.
Age and sex
Conditional survival for all cancers combined was:
- Similar for males and females who had already survived 1, 3 or 5 years (males 82%, 90%, and 92%, respectively, and females 83%, 90% and 92.5% respectively).
- Similar for people in age groups less than 35 years, but gradually decreased thereafter with increasing age.
- Lowest for people aged 85 years and over who had already survived 1, 3 or 5 years (65.5%, 76% and 80%, respectively).
Males and females generally had similar conditional survival outcomes across the different age groups, except for people aged 85 years and over. Females in this age group had higher conditional survival than males for those who had already survived 1 year (69% compared to 62%), 3 years (79% compared to 73%); and 5 years (83% compared to 77%).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Conditional survival data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are presented as observed survival from all causes of death rather than as relative survival from the cancer due to the limited availability of relevant life tables at time of publication.
In the period 2013–2017:
Conditional survival for all cancers combined among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was:
- Lower than for non-Indigenous persons among those who had already survived 1 year (64.5% compared to 72%);
- Closer to that for non-Indigenous persons among those who had already survived 3 years (75% compared to 78%) and 5 years (78% and 80%). Conditional survival was generally lower among males than females for both population groups.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, conditional survival among males for all cancers combined was:
- Lower than for females among those who had already survived 1 year (60% compared to 68%) and 3 years (71% compared to 78%);
- Lower than for females among those who had already survived 5 years (74% compared to 81%).
For non-Indigenous persons, conditional survival among males was:
- Lower than for females among those who had already survived 1 year (70% compared to 74[KC2] %), 3 years (76% compared to 81%), and 5 years (78% compared to 83%).
Differences in conditional survival by Indigenous status may be influenced by a number of factors, such as cancer stage at diagnosis, differences in treatment, prevalence of co-morbidities, and numbers of deaths from non-cancer causes.
Remoteness
Conditional survival by remoteness of residential area is presented using observed rather than relative survival due to the limited availability of relevant life tables at time of publication.
In the period 2013–2017, conditional survival for all cancers combined was similar across remoteness areas for people who had already survived 1 year (ranging between 72% and 74%).
In the period 2013–2017:
- Conditional survival for people living in Remote and Very Remote areas who had already survived 5 years (81.5%) was:
- Similar to that for people living in Major Cities (81.5%), Inner Regional areas (80%), or Outer Regional areas (80%).
Socioeconomic status (SES)
Conditional survival by SES areas is presented using observed survival rather than relative survival due to the absence of relevant life tables at the time of publication.
In the period 2013–2017:
- Conditional survival increased with increasing socioeconomic status from the lowest SES areas (SES1) to the highest SES areas (SES5) for all cancers combined, i.e.:
- From 70% to 77% for people who had already survived 1 year; and
- From 78% to 84% for people who had already survived 5 years.
Conditional survival generally increased with increasing socioeconomic status for both males and females.
Conditional survival by cancer type
In the period 2013–2017, for most of the 18 selected cancer types analysed (see Table 1 in ‘About the Data’), the probability of surviving at least 5 more years increased as the number of years already survived increased. The only exception was for prostate cancer, which had similarly high conditional survival regardless of the number of years already survived (between 96% and 97%).
Some cancer types had notable increases in survival if a person had already survived multiple years since being diagnosed with cancer. Cancers of the pancreas, brain, oesophagus, lung, liver, and unknown primary site had the largest increases in conditional survival prospects between 1 and 5 years following diagnosis. For each of these cancer types, conditional survival increased between 25 and up to 48 percentage points between 1 and 5 years following diagnosis.
Age and sex
In the period 2013–2017, conditional survival generally decreased with increasing age for the cancer types analysed. The ages at which decreases in conditional survival were observed and the extent to which these patterns were observed varied by cancer type.
In the period 2013–2017 for the cancer types analysed, conditional survival among males who had already survived:
- 1 year was:
- Lower than females for 13 of the 14 cancer types selected that affected both sexes, including cancers of the brain (36% compared to 41.5%), colon (79% compared to 81%), colorectal (78% compared to 81%), head and neck (including lip) (78% compared to 83%), lung (36% compared to 43%), melanoma of the skin (92% compared to 95%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (84.5% compared to 87%), and rectum (76% compared to 79%).
- Higher than females for cancers of unknown primary site (62% compared to 56%).
- 5 years was:
- Similar to females for all of the cancer types analysed, with brain cancers showing the largest difference by sex (73.6% for males and 80% for females).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Conditional survival outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are presented using observed rather than relative survival due to the limited availability of life tables at the time of publication.
In the period 2013–2017, conditional survival outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were:
- Higher than for non-Indigenous persons among those who had already survived 5 years for bladder cancer (82% compared to 65%).
- Higher than for non-Indigenous persons among those who had survived 1 year for brain cancer (55% compared to 36%).
- Lower than for non-Indigenous persons among those with head and neck (including lip) cancers at 1 year (52% compared to 70%), at 3 years (62% compared to 75%), and at 5 years (64% compared to 76%).
- Lower than for non-Indigenous among those with colon and colorectal cancers at 1 year (colon: 61% compared to 67%; and colorectal: 61.5% compared to 67%).
- Lower than for non-Indigenous persons at 1 year (24% compared to 34.5%) and 3 years (41% compared to 53.5%) among those with lung cancer.
- [BJ3] Similar with differences attributable to chance compared with non-Indigenous persons among those who had already survived 1 year for bladder, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and rectal cancers.
- Similar with differences attributable to chance to non-Indigenous persons among those who had already survived 3 years for cancers of the bladder, brain, colon, colorectal, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, rectal and unknown primary sites.
- Similar with differences attributable to chance to non-Indigenous persons among those who had already survived 5 years for cancers of the brain, colon, colorectal, lung, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and unknown primary sites.
- Not available due to small numbers by Indigenous status for cancers of the liver, oesophagus, and pancreas at 1, 3 and 5 years.
In the period 2013–2017, conditional survival among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian males were:
- Lower than for non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 1 year (50% compared to 69%) and 3 years (62% compared to 74%) for cancers of the head and neck (including lip).
- Lower than for non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 1 year (78% compared to 84%), 3 years (76% compared to 83%) and 5 years (75% compared to 81%) for prostate cancer.
- Lower than for non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 1 year (21% compared to 31%) and 3 years (38% compared to 50%) for lung cancer.
- Lower than for non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 5 years for rectal cancer (63.5% compared to 77%).
- Similar or attributable to chance for non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 1 year for bladder, colon, colorectal, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and cancers of the rectum.
- Similar or attributable to chance for non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 3 years for cancers of the colon, colorectal, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and rectum.
- Similar or attributable to chance to non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 5 years for cancers of the bladder, colorectal, head and neck (including lip), lung, melanoma of the skin, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Due to small numbers, survival statistics were not available for comparison by Indigenous status for cancers of the brain (by sex), bladder (3-year survival for males), and unknown primary site (by sex). No survival data (1, 3 and 5 years) were available by Indigenous status for comparison for cancers of the liver, oesophagus, and pancreas.
In the period 2013–2017, conditional survival among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian females were:
- Lower than for non-Indigenous females among those who had already survived 1 year for cancers of the breast (79% compared to 85.5%), colon (60% compared to 68.5%), lung (28% compared to 39%), and head and neck (including lip) (56% compared to 72%).
- Lower than for non-Indigenous females among those who had already survived 3 years after diagnosis for cancers of the colon (69% compared to 75%), lung (44% compared to 58%) and head and neck (including lip) (63% compared to 78%).
- Lower than for non-Indigenous females among those who had already survived 5 years after diagnosis for cancers of the breast (81% compared to 87%) and head and neck (including lip) (56% compared to 78%).
- Similar or attributable to chance compared with non-Indigenous males among those who had already survived 1 year for cancers of colorectum, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and rectum.
- Similar or attributable to chance compared with non-Indigenous females among those who had already survived 3 years for colon, breast, cervix, colorectal, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ovarian, rectal and uterine cancers.
- Similar or attributable to chance to non-Indigenous females among those who had already survived 5 years for cervical, colon, colorectal, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, rectal and uterine cancers.
- Due to small numbers, survival statistics were not available for comparison by Indigenous status for cancers of the brain (by sex), bladder (female data) and 3-year survival (for males), unknown primary site (by sex), ovary (5-year survival), and lung (females 5-year survival). No survival data at 1, 3 and 5 years were available by Indigenous status for comparison for cancers of the liver, oesophagus, and pancreas.
Differences in survival by Indigenous status may have been influenced by a number of factors, such as cancer stage at diagnosis, differences in treatments, prevalence of co-morbidities, and numbers of deaths from non-cancer causes.3
Remoteness
Conditional survival by remoteness of residential area is presented using observed rather than relative survival due to a lack of ready availability of life tables at the time of publication.
- Conditional survival was generally higher for people who had already survived 1 year living in:
- Major Cities compared to other remoteness areas for cancers of the brain, head and neck (including lip) lung, liver and oesophagus.
- Remote and Very Remote areas compared to other remoteness areas for cancers of the bladder, colon, colorectal, and melanoma of the skin, and rectum.
- For people who had already survived 5 years, those living in Remote and Very Remote areas had generally higher conditional survival compared to those from other remoteness areas for cancers of the brain, colon, colorectal and, lung, and melanoma of the skin.
- For people who had already survived 5 years, conditional relative survival for all cancers combined, cancer of the rectum, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma was relatively stable, with a maximum range of 2 percentage points between regionalities.
Socioeconomic status (SES)
Conditional survival data by SES areas are presented using observed rather than relative survival due to the lack of ready availability of life tables at the time of publication.
- For people who had already survived 1 and 5 years after diagnosis, those living in the highest SES areas (SES 5) had higher conditional survival compared to those from other SES areas for the selected cancer types analyzed, except for cancers of the colon, colorectal, liver, oesophagus, and pancreas.
