Data sources

Aboriginal cancer incidence and mortality

Data are sourced from the NSW Cancer Registry from within the Master Linked Dataset and uses an Enhanced Reporting Algorithm (ERA) to identify Aboriginal people (population data are sourced from SAPHaRI, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health and are based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Census).

The ERA uses linked data from multiple datasets (the NSW Cancer Registry, NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection, NSW Emergency Department Data Collection and the Australian Coordinating Register Cause of Death Unit Record File) to improve the completeness of identification of Aboriginal people in the NSW Cancer Registry Incidence and Mortality Dataset.[1, 2] Enhancement increased the number of cases reported among Aboriginal people by a third, with impacts varying by cancer type, age group and other demographic factors.[3]

BreastScreen

BreastScreen Information System, BreastScreen NSW. Population data are sourced from SAPHaRI, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health and are based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.

Population data for Aboriginal people uses the Aboriginal Estimated Residential Population (ERP) released by the ABS in July 2019. It is allocated to LGA based on the distribution of the Aboriginal population as at the Census 2021.

Remoteness Areas: Remoteness Areas is based on Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3. It is mapped to LGA based on ABS correspondence table.

Socio-Economic Indexes for Australia (SEIFA) decile: ABS Local Government Area (LGA) Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021. It is mapped to LGA based on ABS correspondence table.

Cancer incidence and mortality

Data are sourced from the NSW Cancer Registry (population data are sourced from SAPHaRI, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health and the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census).

Projected cancer incidence and mortality

Data are sourced from the NSW Cancer Registry. Population data are sourced from NSW Department of Planning and Environment population projections.

Net survival

Data are sourced from the NSW Cancer Registry with mortality followed up from linked death data from NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and National Death Index. NSW life tables were sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Data calculations

Cancer incidence and mortality

• Age-standardised rate
• Cancer incidence
• Cancer mortality
• Risk
• 10 year trend

For more information on age-standardised rate, cancer incidence, cancer mortality, risk or 10-year trend calculations, refer to Appendix 4 of Cancer in NSW: Incidence and Mortality report 2010.

Projected cancer incidence and mortality

• Projected incidence
• Projected mortality

Cancer incidence and mortality projections are a mathematical extrapolation of past trends. They assume that the most recent trend will continue into the future, and are intended to illustrate future changes that might reasonably be expected to occur if the stated assumptions were to apply over the projection period.

The nature of the projection method used and inherent fluctuations in both cancer incidence and mortality trends and population dynamics mean that care should be taken when using and interpreting the projections presented.

Specifically, the projections are not forecasts and do not attempt to allow for changes which may affect future cancer incidence and mortality rates, including changes in risk factors and early detection methods.

Net survival

• Net survival

Net survival is an estimation of the percentage of people with cancer who would survive a certain number of years after diagnosis, in the absence of other causes of death.

One-year and five-year net survival estimates for adults (aged 15 to 100 years) diagnosed with cancer in NSW were produced with the Pohar-Perme method. The period approach was used for the 2017-2021 estimates, and the cohort approach for historical estimates. Estimates were age-adjusted, using the age structure for each cancer type within the latest reporting period to adjust earlier periods for comparison.

Note age-adjusted net survival estimates are only intended to enhance the understanding of how survival has changed over time for the specific cancer and sex and are not directly comparable with other cancers or sexes. Also, there are many different methodologies used to calculate survival which mean the results may not be comparable to survival data reported in other jurisdictions. 

BreastScreen

Participation

For all participation calculations:

• Women are counted only once.
• Women are counted where they live based on their residential address not where they screen.

All women

Number of women screened in the last 24 months in the age group / Average total population over the last 24 months.

Aboriginal

Number of Aboriginal women screened in the last 24 months in the age group / Average Aboriginal population over the last 24 months.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)

Number of women by main language spoken where the main language spoken at home is not English screened in the last 24 months in the age group / Average population over the last 24 months where main language spoken at home is not English.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Population = Average total population over the last 24 months * Proportion of the population where the main language spoken at home was not English as at the Census 2021.

Remoteness Areas (RA)

Number of women by remoteness area screened in the last 24 months in the age group / Average population over the last 24 months by Remoteness Area.

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)

Number of women by SEIFA quintile screened in the last 24 months in the age group / Average SEIFA quintile population over the last 24 months.

Notes

BreastScreen

Breast screening participation rates shown here are expected to differ from figures of Health and Welfare for the same period, due to variations in the population projections used in the denominator. The participation rates presented here are based on the number of women who live in NSW and are screened in NSW. Interstate clients have been excluded.