  | 1 in 2 people in NSW will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. |
| In 2020, an estimated 49,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in NSW. |
| Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with cancer (an estimated 26,306 males and 22,540 females in 2020). |
| The most common cancers in NSW are prostate, breast, melanoma, lung and bowel . These cancer types make up nearly half of all cancers diagnosed. |
| Cancer survival rates in NSW are increasing. In the early 1980s the cancer survival rate was less than 50%. This has risen to 67% which means that almost 7 in 10 people will survive for at least 5 years after a cancer diagnosis. |
Most common cancer types – Number of cases, NSW 2013-2017
These statistics do not include rates of non-melanoma skin cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas).
- For national statistics on a specific cancer type, see Cancer Information.
- For more cancer statistics in NSW, see Cancer Institute NSW.
- For more cancer statistics in Australia, see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
This information was last updated in March 2021.
→ READ MORE: Cancer risk factors
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