Mortality (deaths from cancer)

Cancer is the leading cause of premature death in Australia. In 2004 (the latest year for which we have national data), more than 38 000 Australians died from cancer.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Australia, followed by colorectal (large bowel) cancer, cancer of unknown primary site, prostate cancer and breast cancer. These five cancers caused more than half of all deaths from cancer in 2004.