All cancers combined – conditional survival 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis
In the period 2007–2011, the conditional 5-year relative survival (referred to as conditional survival hereafter) for all cancers combined for people who had already survived 1, 3 and 5 years, increased incrementally (to 80%, 88% and 91%, respectively). This means that among people with cancer, the probability of surviving at least 5 more years increased with increased passage of time since diagnosis.
Age and sex
The conditional survivals for all cancers combined for females who had already survived 1, 3 or 5 years (i.e., 81%, 89% and 92%, respectively) were slightly higher than for males (i.e., 80%, 88% and 90%, respectively).
The conditional survivals for persons who have already survived 1, 3 and 5 years were generally similar for the different age groups, with a gradual decline observed with increasing age up to the age group 55–64 years, followed by a more pronounced decline for ages 65 years and over.
Among those who had already survived 1 year, females in the age groups 35–44, 45–54, 65–74 and 85 years and over experienced higher conditional survival than males in the same age groups.
Among those who had already survived 3 and 5 years, males and females had similar conditional survival until age group 65–74 years. Females aged 75–84 and 85 years and over had higher conditional survival than males of the same age groups.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Conditional survival data for Indigenous Australians are presented for observed survival rather than for relative survival due to the absence of relevant life tables. In the period 2007–2011, lower conditional observed survival rates were apparent for Indigenous males and females who had already survived 1 year after diagnosis, and for Indigenous females who had already survived 3 years, compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts.
Conditional survival by cancer type – 1 and 5 years after diagnosis
Data for conditional survival of selected cancer types are available for the period 2007–2011, by age and sex, with 95% confidence intervals. For most of the selected cancer types, some data are also available (but not by age and sex, and without confidence intervals) for the period 2009–2013.1
The data show that for selected cancers, the probability of surviving at least five more years generally increased with increasing number of years already survived. For cancers of the brain, liver, lung, oesophagus, and pancreas, the increases in survival at 1 and 5 years after diagnosis were relatively large. Cancers which had higher relative 5-year survival at diagnosis had little increases in conditional survival at 1 and 5 years after diagnosis. Such cancers include female breast cancer, melanoma of the skin, and prostate cancer.
Age and sex
In the period 2007–2011, for most selected cancer types, conditional survival generally decreased with increasing age. The ages at which decreases in conditional survival were observed and the extent to which this effect was observed varied by cancer type.
Conditional survival at 1 year after diagnosis was higher among females than males for the following cancers: colon, colorectal, head and neck (including lip), lung, melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and rectum. Conditional survival at 5 years after diagnosis was higher among females than males for the following cancers: colon, colorectal, lung, and melanoma.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Conditional survival data for Indigenous Australians are presented using observed survival rather than relative survival (due to an absence of life tables). Among females who had survived 1 year since diagnosis, lower conditional survival was observed for Indigenous females than for non-Indigenous females for cancers of the breast, cervix, colon, and rectum. Among males who had survived for 1 year since diagnosis, lower conditional survival rates were observed for Indigenous males than for non-Indigenous males for cancers of the head and neck (incl. lip), prostate and rectum.
Among persons who had survived 3 years since diagnosis, lower conditional survival figures presented among Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians for female breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Remoteness
Conditional survival data by remoteness area are presented using observed survival rather than relative survival (due to an absence of life tables). In the period 2007–2011, for those who had survived 1 year since diagnosis, slightly lower conditional survival was observed for females living in Remote and very remote areas than in Major cities and in all areas combined. For males, prostate cancer survival for outer regional areas was similar to survival for all areas.
