Comparing prostate cancer trends in Australia, England, Canada and USA

2013 –2016

Cancer Council NSW researchers discovered that the number of men dying from prostate cancer in Australia is not declining at a similar rate as seen in other countries. The research team has now started several new projects to help understand how Australia can better manage prostate cancer and improve the lives of all men affected.

Background

Over the past two decades, the number of men with prostate cancer has risen substantially in many developed countries. In Australia, prostate cancer incidence rose by 144% from 1982 to 2009. These rates are among the highest in the world. At the same time, the reduction in the number of Australian men dying from prostate cancer has been modest compared to other developed countries. The researchers set out to analyse and understand the varying prostate cancer trends in Australia, England, Canada and the USA.

The research

Death rates in the USA and England have decreased at a faster rate compared to that in Australia. Had Australia experienced the same fall in death rates as the USA, a total of 10,895 fewer prostate cancer deaths would have occurred over the preceding 17 years.
Australian cancer patients generally have the highest overall survival rate in the world, but this is not true for prostate cancer.
In Australia, 14 men die for every 100 new cases of prostate cancer, which is higher than
the USA, where there are only 11 deaths for every 100 new cases.

The impact

Deaths from prostate cancer in Australia are not declining at the same rate as seen in some other developed countries. It is possible that the difference in the number of deaths reflects differences in the advance of treatment methods and management approaches in each country.

This research has highlighted an urgent need to collect more data on prostate cancer outcomes in Australia, and to monitor patterns of treatment. To achieve this, Cancer Council NSW has started several new prostate cancer studies, including the Clinician-Led Improvements in Cancer Care (CLICC) study, which is investigating whether a clinical practice network will make doctors more likely to follow clinical guidelines for treating high risk prostate cancer.

A new phase of the Prostate Cancer Care and Outcomes Study has also started, looking at the long-term impact of prostate cancer treatments 15 years after a diagnosis and at differences in survival rates.