The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a report into cancer rates in adolescents and young adults, finding that cancer related mortality rates are dropping in the 15-29 age group.

 

The report, Cancer in adolescents and young adults in Australia,  is the first comprehensive study of cancer in young people aged 15-29.

 

The report found that cancer in adolescents and young adults accounts for 1.7 per cent of all cancer diagnosed in Australia, with melanoma the most prevalent.

 

‘Almost 8,800 new cases of cancer (excluding basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin) were diagnosed in people aged 15–29 between 2003 and 2007,’ said AIHW spokesperson Chris Sturrock.

 

‘The good news is that the death rate from cancer in those aged 15–29 decreased by almost 2% per year between 1983 and 2007,’ Ms Sturrock said.

 

The report found a little over 1,000 cancer related deaths in this age group in the 2003-2007 period, accounting for 9 per cent of the deaths in the age group with brain cancer being the most lethal.

 

‘Survival for young people with cancer is also quite high and has improved,’ Ms Sturrock said.

 

In the period 2004–2010, adolescents and young adults with cancer, compared with those in the general population, were 88% as likely to be alive five years after diagnosis.

 

However, cancer outcomes for adolescents and young adults did vary for different population groups.

 

‘In the period 2003–2007, those living outside Major cities were more likely to be diagnosed with and to die from cancer than their counterparts in Major cities,’ Ms Sturrock said.

 

In the period 2004–2010, survival from all cancers combined was higher for 15–29-year-olds living in areas of the highest socio-economic status than for those in the lowest.

 

The full report can be found here.