Notes on the data: Premature mortality by selected cause - 0 to 74 years

Deaths from lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue cancer, persons aged 0 to 74 years, 2018 to 2022

Policy context: Cancers of the lymphoid, hematopoietic, and related tissues are also known as blood cancers, which are often characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal blood cells, which reduces the production of normal blood cells and impairs blood function [1]. Inconsistencies in Australia’s healthcare system directly impact people with blood cancer, with around 13% of people waiting more than two months from their first appointment to obtain a referral to a specialist [2]. Between 2018 and 2022, more than a third of people diagnosed with blood cancer waited more than a month for a haematologist appointment [2]. First Nations people, those of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and regional and remote patients face additional challenges due to location, language and cultural factors [2]. It is estimated that 18 Australians die from blood cancer each day, but if everyone were to receive what is already considered best practice, 5 lives could be saved every day [2].

For 2018 to 2022, 38.2% of deaths from lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue cancer were premature, with 40.6% for males and 34.8% for females – these and other details are available here.

References

Molinares, D., Parke, S., Gupta, E. (2020). Cancer of the Lymphoid, Hematopoietic, and Related Tissue. In: Baima, J., Khanna, A. (eds) Cancer Rehabilitation. Springer, Cham. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44462-4_7; last accessed: 30 August 2024.
Insight Economics. State of the Nation Blood Cancers in Australia Report 2023. Final report to the Leukaemia Foundation. February 2023. Available from: https://www.leukaemia.org.au/how-we-can-help/advocacy-and-policy/state-of-the-nation/; last accessed: 30 August 2024.

Notes: International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes: C81-C96

For detailed data files released since 2007, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has applied a staged approach to the coding of cause of death which affects the number of records available for release at any date. In general, the latest year’s data are designated preliminary, the second latest as revised and the data for the remaining years as final. For further information about the ABS revisions process see the following and related sites: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3303.0Explanatory+Notes12012.

Data published here are from the following releases: 2018, 2019 and 2020, final; and 2021 and 2022, preliminary.

Geography: Data available by Population Health Area, Local Government Area, Primary Health Network, Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Quintiles within PHNs, and Remoteness Area

Numerator: Deaths from lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue cancer at ages 0 to 74 years

Denominator: Population aged 0 to 74 years

Detail of analysis: Average annual indirectly age-standardised rate per 100,000 population (aged 0 to 74 years); and/or indirectly age-standardised ratio, based on the Australian standard.

Source: Data compiled by PHIDU from deaths data based on the 2018 to 2022 Cause of Death Unit Record Files supplied by the Australian Coordinating Registry and the Victorian Department of Justice, on behalf of the Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the National Coronial Information System. The population is the average of the ABS Estimated Resident Population (ERP) for Australia, 30 June 2018 to 30 June 2022.