61,000 Australian lives have been saved over the last two decades thanks to improvements in cancer prevention, screening and treatment according to the latest Cancer Council research.

The Cancer Council’s study compared recent results with those in the 1980s, revealing significant reductions in deaths across all types of cancer, with lunch, bowel and breast cancer recording the steepest drops in mortalities.

Annual lung cancer deaths have fallen by 2,154 compared with what we could have expected if late-1980s trends had continued. There were also 1,797 less bowel cancer deaths, and 773 less breast cancer deaths.

Associate Professor Freddy Sitas, lead researcher from Cancer Council NSW said, “This report clearly highlights that the combined advances in cancer prevention, research and treatment are working and saving lives, and we expect about 8,000 deaths to be avoided each year if current advances in cancer are maintained.

“The significant fall in expected lung cancer deaths reflects a big drop in the number of male smokers.

“But, unfortunately, we have seen a small increase in the number of women who die from lung cancer and this can largely be attributed to the increase in women smoking up until the 1970s. Further reductions in smoking rates will see more lives saved from lung cancer.

But despite the overall increase in survivability of cancer victims, the survey has revealed that some cancer types have recorded little improvements over the last 20 years, with the Cancer Council calling for more research and investment into these cancers.

Cancer types with the smallest improvements over 20 years include cancer of the brain (148 fewer deaths), pancreatic (69 fewer deaths), and oesophagus (64 fewer deaths).

“Brain, pancreatic and oesophagus cancers are amongst the most globally underfunded and that is why Cancer Council has boosted our research investment into all three of these cancer types.