Cancer Registry

The Western Australian Cancer Registry was established in 1981 when the Health (Notification of Cancer) Regulations 1981 were proclaimed. The regulations provide for mandatory reporting of cancer by pathologists and radiation oncologists to the Executive Director, Public Health. The registry collects, collates, analyses and reports on the resulting information. Currently, there are over 8,000 new cases of cancer and over 3,000 cancer-related deaths in Western Australians every year.

The registry produces an annual statistical report on cancer incidence, cancer-related death and a variety of special topics. "Routine" statistics are available online. The registry also supports a number of long and short-term research projects. The Western Australian Cancer Registry cooperates with other State Registries and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to ensure the quality of both State and Australian cancer publications. Western Australian statistics are also sent to the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, for inclusion in international publications.

Recent registry reports, and further infomation on the Western Australian Cancer Registry can be found at the Registry's web site.

Cancer is common and affects one in three males and one in four females in Western Australia before age 75 years. The most common types of cancer in males and females are shown below.

Cancer incidence, Western Australia, 2005: common cancers
Males		Females