THERE will be a 20 per cent increase in cancer in the western region by 2016.
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That's the word from Western NSW Local Health District director of cancer services Ruth Jones following analysis of the latest available data.
Ms Jones said treatment services were busier than ever.
"But the good news is more people are living well with cancer and mortality rates are decreasing," she said.
Prostate, bowel, breast, melanoma and lung cancer were at the top of the list for western NSW and across the state.
"Lung cancer is what takes the most lives," Ms Jones said.
"That's why there is a push around tobacco.
"Colon, breast and prostate cancer are the other top cancer deaths in western NSW."
Ms Jones said baby boomers were a huge "blip" in the population and as people got older they had a much greater rate of developing cancer.
"Lifestyle issues are also important," she said.
"The western region has a high smoking and obesity rate. There is a need for people to be more physically active, to eat more healthily and to stop smoking.
"If we can achieve those things health outcomes will be drastically improved in the western region and NSW."
Cancer Council NSW community programs co-ordinator for Dubbo and districts Camilla Barlow said the risk of developing cancer in NSW was one in two for males and one in three for females by the age of 85 years.
In 2009, 37,525 NSW residents (21,531 males and 15,994 females) were diagnosed with cancer, 1511 (889 males and 612 females) of these cancer diagnoses were Western NSW Local Health District residents.
"The rate of cancer diagnosis in the western health district is similar to the overall NSW population," Ms Barlow said.
"In 2008, 483 per 100,000 of NSW residents, and 489 per 100,000 of Western NSW Local Health District residents were diagnosed with cancer."
Ms Barlow said the common causes of cancer deaths across NSW had not changed much during the period 2003 to 2008.
From 2003 to 2007, the five most common causes of cancer deaths in NSW included lung, bowel, CUP (cancer of unknown primary that has spread from somewhere else in the body), prostate, and breast.
Lung and bowel were the two most common causes of cancer death consistently across that time period.
In NSW in 2008, the most common causes of cancer death were: lung (20%); bowel (13%); prostate (7%); breast (7%); and pancreas (6%).
Similarly in the Western NSW Local Health District the most common causes of cancer death were: lung (22.4%); bowel (13.8%); breast (8.6%); prostate (8.4%); and CUP (6.9%).
Ms Barlow said the majority of cancer deaths occurred in people aged 65 years and over.
"The absolute number of cases of cancer is increasing as our population ages and grows, and because of the lifestyle choices we make including diet, smoking, physical exercise, sun tanning and other high risk activities," she said.
"In particular, the rate of cancer incidence in males has increased significantly over the last 10 years.
"The majority of new cancer cases were diagnosed in people aged 60 years and over: 74 per cent of males and 64 per cent of females.
"Encouragingly, cancers that continue to show decreasing incidence rates include lung cancer in males; oesophageal cancer in females; and bladder cancer, leukaemia and stomach cancer in both males and females."
In 2008 cancer was reported as the leading cause of death in NSW people aged 35 to 84.
Compared to the cancer mortality rate for NSW as a whole between 2004 to 2008, the mortality rate in the Western NSW Local Health District was slightly higher, while the Far West Local Health District mortality rate was significantly higher.
"The far west cancer mortality rate was also higher than the all of the metropolitan Sydney local health district mortality rates," Ms Barlow said.
"The Western NSW Local Health District cancer mortality rate was higher than the South Western Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, Western Sydney, and Northern Sydney local health districts but lower than the Sydney Local Health District mortality rate.
"A study by Jong et al published in The Medical Journal of Australia in 2004 found that people with cancer in remote areas of NSW were 35 per cent more likely to die within five years of diagnosis than patients in metropolitan areas.
"There are many reasons why death caused by cancer is higher in rural and remote areas - these can include: less availability to diagnostic and treatment services, a later diagnosis (potentially caused by lack of access to services, reluctance to access diagnosis), lower socioeconomic status, reduced rates of physical activity, increased rates of alcohol consumption, higher smoking rates, increased sun exposure.
"Generally speaking cancer deaths have fallen by 12.9 per cent in males and 6.4 per cent in females over the past decade - which is promising.
"The good news is, even though new cases of cancer are increasing, prevention campaigns, early detection programs, and advances in treatment and research are making a difference and the increasing survival rates can be attributed to this."