Back to Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease and more people under 40 than any other cancer.
5-year survival rate of prostate cancer has increased from 60% to over 90%. Breast cancer survival has increased 72% to over 90%. The 5-year survival rate for brain cancer has increased from 21.2% in 1986, to only 22.3%.
Brain cancer survival rates are low and have hardly changed for 30 years, despite significant increases in survival for Australians diagnosed with other types of cancer, such as prostate and breast cancer. 5-year survival rate of prostate cancer has increased from 60% to over 90%. Breast cancer has increased 72% to over 90%. 5-year survival rate for brain cancer from 1986 – 1990 was 21.2%.
For some types of brain cancer, survival is much lower. For glioblastoma – the most common primary brain cancer in adults – only 5% of people survive 5-years post diagnosis.
Brain cancer affects 7.2 persons per 100,000 in Australia
Around 1,896 people are diagnosed with brain cancer in Australia annually and approximately 1,528 die from the disease every year.
High cost
The financial cost of brain cancer – to both patients and society – is the highest of all cancers.
 Testicular |
$23M |
 Melanoma |
$48.5M |
 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma |
$57.6M |
 Acute Lymbphoblastic Leukaemia |
$66.6M |
 Bone |
$68M |
 Brain |
$90.7M |
Brain cancer costs more per person than any other cancer because it is highly debilitating, affects people in their prime, and often means family members cannot work if they become carers.
Brain cancer has the highest total burden of disease for adolescents and young adults in Australia, with a cost of $1.7 million per person.
