Cancer in Far North Queensland
The CCQ region of Far North Queensland
covers nearly a quarter of Queensland (22% or 387,000 km2), including
the most northern and north-west areas of the state. In 2019 it had a
population of 294,332, which was 5.8% of Queensland’s total
population.
The major population centres are Cairns, Innisfail and Tully, while Cooktown and Weipa are important tourist and industrial centres in the region. The majority of Queensland’s discrete Indigenous communities, for example Bamaga, are located in Far North Queensland.The nearest radiation treatment centre for cancer patients in Far North Queensland is Cairns. There is also a radiotherapy facility located in Townsville.
| Region Characteristics (2019 data unless otherwise specified) | Far North Queensland | Queensland |
|---|---|---|
| Percent of population who… | ||
| … are female | 50.0% | 50.6% |
| … are aged 50 years and over | 24.7% | 22.7% |
| … are Indigenous (2016) | 18.1% | 4.6% |
| … speak another language at home | 14.8% | 12.1% |
| … live in remote areas | 11.6% | 2.0% |
| … live within 2 hours drive of radiation treatment | 84.3% | 89.5% |
| … live more than 6 hours drive from radiation treatment | 11.3% | 1.8% |
| … live in disadvantaged areas | 29.9% | 17.7% |
| … live in affluent areas | 8.1% | 18.8% |
| All Cancers* Far North Queensland | Male | Female | Persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new cases per year | 1080 | 733 | 1813 |
| Chance of diagnosis by age 80* | 1 in 2.0 | 1 in 2.7 | 1 in 2.3 |
| Median age at diagnosis | 67 yrs | 64 yrs | 66 yrs |
| Five-year relative survival | 65% | 71% | 68% |
| Number of deaths per year | 341 | 213 | 555 |
| Percent deaths before age 80 | 74% | 71% | 72% |
| 1 Persons data may not equal sum of males and females due to rounding. | |||
| 2 Cancers with a lifetime risk above 1 in 5 the value provided to one decimal point. |
The 10 most common cancers diagnosed in Far North Queensland by sex, 2015 - 2019
Five-year relative survival in Far North Queensland by type of cancer and sex, 2015 - 2019
Note: Relative survival calculated using the period method, for persons aged 0-89 years at diagnosis. Data are for “at risk” cases in the period 2015-2019
Facts about the most common cancers in Far North Queensland
| Colorectal Cancer | Male | Female | Persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new cases per year | 97 | 79 | 176 |
| Chance of diagnosis by age 80* | 1 in 18 | 1 in 22 | 1 in 20 |
| Median age at diagnosis | 69 yrs | 70 yrs | 69 yrs |
| Five-year relative survival | 62% | 71% | 66% |
| Number of deaths per year | 39 | 24 | 63 |
| Percent deaths before age 80 | 69% | 55% | 63% |
| Lung Cancer | Male | Female | Persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new cases per year | 111 | 68 | 179 |
| Chance of diagnosis by age 80* | 1 in 14 | 1 in 22 | 1 in 17 |
| Median age at diagnosis | 69 yrs | 68 yrs | 68 yrs |
| Five-year relative survival | 15% | 24% | 18% |
| Number of deaths per year | 79 | 41 | 120 |
| Percent deaths before age 80 | 80% | 79% | 79% |
| Melanoma | Male | Female | Persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new cases per year | 140 | 79 | 219 |
| Chance of diagnosis by age 80* | 1 in 12 | 1 in 21 | 1 in 15 |
| Median age at diagnosis | 66 yrs | 60 yrs | 64 yrs |
| Five-year relative survival | 91% | 97% | 93% |
| Number of deaths per year | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| Percent deaths before age 80 | 72% | 68% | 71% |
| Female Breast Cancer | Male | Female | Persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new cases per year | . . . . . . | 204 | . . . . . . |
| Chance of diagnosis by age 80* | . . . . . . | 1 in 8 | . . . . . . |
| Median age at diagnosis | . . . . . . | 61 yrs | . . . . . . |
| Five-year relative survival | . . . . . . | 89% | . . . . . . |
| Number of deaths per year | . . . . . . | 32 | . . . . . . |
| Percent deaths before age 80 | . . . . . . | 77% | . . . . . . |
| Prostate Cancer | Male | Female | Persons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new cases per year | 302 | . . . . . . | . . . . . . |
| Chance of diagnosis by age 80* | 1 in 5 | . . . . . . | . . . . . . |
| Median age at diagnosis | 68 yrs | . . . . . . | . . . . . . |
| Five-year relative survival | 89% | . . . . . . | . . . . . . |
| Number of deaths per year | 42 | . . . . . . | . . . . . . |
| Percent deaths before age 80 | 55% | . . . . . . | . . . . . . |
More details on the top 10 cancers diagnosed in Far North Queensland
| Type of cancer | Average no. per year | Annual rate (per 100,000 (b) | Five-year relative survival (%) (c) | Average no. per year | Annual rate (per 100,000) (b) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All invasive cancers | 1813 | 560 [548,571] | 68 [66,69] | 555 | 176 [170,183] |
| Prostate cancer | 302 | n.a. | 89 [86,91] | 42 | n.a. |
| Melanoma | 219 | 69 [65,73] | 93 [91,95] | 17 | 6 [4,7] |
| Female breast cancer | 204 | n.a. | 89 [87,91] | 32 | n.a. |
| Lung cancer | 179 | 54 [51,58] | 18 [15,21] | 120 | 37 [34,40] |
| Colorectal cancer | 176 | 56 [52,60] | 66 [62,69] | 63 | 21 [18,23] |
| Kidney cancer | 50 | 15 [13,17] | 73 [66,79] | ** | ** |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 46 | 14 [12,16] | 77 [70,83] | ** | ** |
| Thyroid cancer | 41 | 13 [12,15] | 96 [92,99] | ** | ** |
| Pancreatic cancer | 39 | 12 [11,14] | 8 [4,12] | 35 | 11 [10,13] |
| Bladder cancer | 34 | 11 [9,12] | 53 [44,62] | 11 | 4 [3,5] |
| Type of cancer | Average no. per year | Annual rate (per 100,000 (b) | Five-year relative survival (%) (c) | Average no. per year | Annual rate (per 100,000) (b) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All invasive cancers | 1080 | 656 [638,674] | 65 [63,66] | 341 | 220 [209,231] |
| Prostate cancer | 302 | 172 [163,181] | 89 [86,91] | 42 | 29 [25,34] |
| Melanoma | 140 | 87 [81,94] | 91 [88,94] | 11 | 8 [6,10] |
| Lung cancer | 111 | 67 [62,73] | 15 [11,18] | 79 | 49 [44,54] |
| Colorectal cancer | 97 | 61 [56,67] | 62 [57,67] | 39 | 26 [22,30] |
| Kidney cancer | 33 | 20 [17,24] | 73 [64,80] | 8 | 5 [4,7] |
| Bladder cancer | 28 | 17 [15,21] | 54 [44,64] | 8 | 5 [4,7] |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 27 | 16 [14,20] | 73 [63,81] | 8 | 5 [3,7] |
| Pancreatic cancer | 22 | 14 [11,17] | 9 [5,16] | 19 | 12 [10,15] |
| Liver cancer | 22 | 13 [10,15] | 14 [8,22] | 15 | 9 [7,11] |
| Oesophageal cancer | 18 | 11 [8,13] | 21 [12,31] | 12 | 7 [5,9] |
| Type of cancer | Average no. per year | Annual rate (per 100,000 (b) | Five-year relative survival (%) (c) | Average no. per year | Annual rate (per 100,000) (b) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All invasive cancers | 733 | 460 [445,475] | 71 [70,73] | 213 | 134 [126,142] |
| Breast cancer | 204 | 127 [119,135] | 89 [87,91] | 32 | 20 [17,24] |
| Colorectal cancer | 79 | 50 [45,56] | 71 [66,76] | 24 | 15 [13,18] |
| Melanoma | 79 | 51 [46,56] | 97 [94,99] | 6 | 4 [3,5] |
| Lung cancer | 68 | 42 [37,47] | 24 [19,30] | 41 | 25 [22,29] |
| Uterine cancer | 34 | 20 [17,23] | 79 [72,85] | 6 | 4 [2,5] |
| Thyroid cancer | 27 | 17 [15,21] | 98 [92,100] | ** | ** |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 19 | 12 [9,14] | 83 [72,90] | ** | ** |
| Ovarian cancer | 17 | 11 [9,14] | 44 [33,55] | 11 | 7 [5,9] |
| Pancreatic cancer | 17 | 11 [9,14] | 5 [2,12] | 16 | 11 [8,13] |
| Kidney cancer | 17 | 10 [8,13] | 74 [61,83] | ** | ** |
| Note: | |||||
|
n.a. = not applicable (rates for persons not applicable for
sex-specific cancers) ** Incidence or mortality counts that averaged less than five per year (and the corresponding rates) have been suppressed to protect confidentiality. Counts and rates for persons have also been suppressed when necessary |
|||||
| a Incidence and mortality data are averaged over the 5 year period from 2015-2019. | |||||
| b Incidence and mortality rates have been directly age-standardised to the 2001 Australian Standard population, with 95% confidence intervals shown in brackets. | |||||
| c Five-year relative survival calculated using the period method, for persons aged 0-89 years at diagnosis, with 95% confidence intervals shown in brackets. Estimates are for “at risk” cases in the period 2015-2019 | |||||
| d Persons data may not equal the sum of males and females due to rounding |
Methodology
1. All cancer data are sourced from the Queensland
Cancer Register. The access and use of these data for reporting purposes
is subject to strict confidentiality and privacy constraints.
2.
Census and population data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of
Statistics.
3. Population death data used in relative survival
calculations were obtained from the Australian Coordinating Registry of
Births, Deaths and Marriages.
4. All calculations were performed
using Stata v16.1.
5. Trend lines for incidence numbers have been
smoothed using the ‘Lowess’ method.
6. Remote areas are defined by
the Remoteness Areas 2016 classification (combines Remote and Very
Remote).
7. Travelling times to radiation treatment are calculated
using spatial and road network software, and are approximate based on
the shortest road distances at the recommended speed limits.
8.
‘Affluent areas’ are the 20% of most advantaged Statistical Areas 2
(SA2s) and ‘Disadvantaged areas’ are the 20% of most disadvantaged SA2s
as defined by the 2016 SEIFA Index of Advantage and Disadvantage
obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
9. Relative
survival compares overall survival among those diagnosed with cancer to
the expected survival of the general population, taking into account
age, sex and year of diagnosis.
Disclaimer: The information in this publication should not be used as a substitute for advice from a properly qualified medical professional who can advise you about your own individual medical needs. It is not intended to constitute medical advice and is provided for general information purposes only. Information on cancer, including the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer, is constantly being updated and revised by medical professionals and the research community. Cancer Council Queensland does not warrant that the information in this publication is correct, up to date or complete nor that it is suitable for any particular purpose. Your use of the information in this publication is at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Cancer Council Queensland does not accept any liability for any reliance placed on information that is not correct, complete or up to date, or that is not suited to the purpose for which it was relied upon. If any warranty or guarantee cannot by law be excluded, then, to the extent permitted by law, Cancer Council Queensland’s liability for such warranty or guarantee is limited, at Cancer Council Queensland’s option, to supplying the information or materials again or paying the cost of having the information or materials supplied again.
