Around half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (47%) survived for five years or longer after their cancer diagnosis in 2012–2016.1
Cancer survival (observed survival) describes the percentage of people with cancer who are alive at a defined period of time after their diagnosis. The most common timeframe within which cancer survival is measured is five years. Five-year survival describes the likelihood of living for five years or more after being diagnosed with cancer. For example, if 6 in 10 people with cancer are alive five years after their diagnosis, cancer survival is 60%.
Cancer survival increases when cancers are diagnosed at an early stage (i.e. before cancer has spread to other parts of the body). This means that treatment is more likely to be effective. Cancer survival is also improving over time for many cancers with improvements in diagnostic technology and cancer treatments.2
While Australia’s cancer survival rates are among the best in the world, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to experience disparities in cancer outcomes. Cancer survival rates are lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples than for the general population. Between 2012 and 2016 in Australia, five-year cancer survival was higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women than men: 51% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were alive five years or longer after diagnosis, compared with 42% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.
Cancer survival among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples varies by cancer type. Between 2012 and 2016, about three-quarters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people diagnosed with melanoma, breast and uterine cancer (in women) and prostate cancer (in men) were alive five years or longer after diagnosis. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people diagnosed with liver or lung cancer, fewer than 10% of people were alive five years or longer after diagnosis.