Liver cancer is the fastest increasing cause of cancer death in Australians

MacLachlan, Jennifer H; Cowie, Benjamin C

doi:10.5694/mja12.11481

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To the Editor: In September 2012, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released its report on cancer survival and prevalence in Australia from 1982 to 2010, incorporating incidence and mortality estimates for all malignancies reported to Australian cancer registries.1 Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia, accounting for about 20% of the total disease burden and 30% of deaths.2

WHO Regional Reference Laboratory for Hepatitis B, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Melbourne, VIC.

Correspondence: benjamin.cowie@mh.org.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cancer survival and prevalence in Australia: period estimates from 1982 to 2010. Canberra: AIHW, 2012. (AIHW Cat. No. CAN 65.) http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737422720 (accessed Oct 2012).
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cancer in Australia 2010: an overview. Canberra: AIHW, 2010. (AIHW Cat. No. CAN 56.)
3. Carville KS, Cowie BC. Recognising the role of infection: preventing liver cancer in special populations. Cancer Forum 2012; 36: 23-26.
4. Robotin MC, Kansil M, Howard K, et al. Antiviral therapy for hepatitis B-related liver cancer prevention is more cost-effective than cancer screening. J Hepatol 2009; 50: 990-998.
5. Third National Hepatitis C Strategy 2010–2013. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2010.
6. National Hepatitis B Strategy 2010–2013. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2010.

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