Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 9—Health 337
rate(b)
250
225
9.12 CANCER MORTALITY RATES(a), By Sex—1908 to 1998
Males
Females
Male cancers excluding lung
200
175
150
125
1908 1918 1928 1938 1948 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998
(a) Age-standardised to the 1991 mid-year population. (b) Per 100,000 population.
Source: AIHW Mortality Monitoring System.
Cancer screening
Screening is currently believed to be the most
effective method of reducing mortality from
breast and cervical cancer. The National Program
for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer was
established in 1991; since 1994 it has been called
Breast Screen Australia. The primary aim of the
program is to reduce morbidity and mortality
from breast and cervical cancer. Breast Screen
Australia’s main aim is to detect small cancers in
the breast which are more easily treatable while
in their early stages. The program recommends
that women in the target age group (50–69 years)
have a mammogram every two years. Women in
the 40–49 years and 70–79 years age groups also
have access to mammography, but are not
actively recruited (AIHW 1998).
Although Pap smears have been available since
the 1960s, the National Cervical Screening
Program did not come into effect until 1991.
The program seeks to detect the precursors to
cancer or abnormalities of cells in the cervix
which may lead to invasive cervical cancer.
It is estimated that 90% of cervical cancers are
potentially preventable (AIHW 1998).
Injuries and deaths due to external
causes
Injuries are a significant source of preventable
illness, disability and mortality in Australia, and
place a heavy burden on health services.
Over the past decade, injuries, poisonings and
violence (referred to as external causes)
accounted for more than 7,000 deaths per year,
including suicides. National hospital statistics for
1998–99 show external causes to be the second
leading cause of hospital separations.
The draft National Injury Prevention Action Plan
has nominated four priority areas not well
covered by other agencies for action in the period
2000 to 2002. These include injury due to falls
among persons aged 65 years and older; falls
among children under 15 years of age; drowning
and near drowning; and poisoning of infants and
children less than 5 years of age. Summary data
on these four types of injuries (table 9.13) show
that, although the number of deaths from these
injuries is relatively small, they account for a large
number of hospital admissions (AIHW 2000).
In 1998, 6% of all deaths (7,946 deaths) were due
to external causes (table 9.14). Leading external
causes of death were suicide (34% of all external
causes of death) followed by motor vehicle
accidents (22%) and accidental falls (15%).
Males accounted for 71% of all deaths due to
external causes (male death rate of 61 per
100,000 compared with 22 for females). The male
death rate from suicide was more than four times
the female rate, and from motor vehicle accidents
it was more than twice the female rate.