Download Cancer Council NSW Facts and Background Information

Cancer Council NSW Facts and Background Information
PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND CANCER RISKS:
Is there a link between physical activity and cancer?

In Australia, being physically inactive is the second biggest risk factor for cancer
behind tobacco smoking. Recent Australian data suggests that a lack of physical
activity accounts for 5.6% of the total cancer burden.

One in two people in Australia will be diagnosed with cancer by age of 85. However,
up to 30% of cancers are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices including
regular exercise.
How much physical activity should we do?

For cancer prevention, the evidence suggests that 30-60 minutes per day of
moderate to vigorous physical activity reduces risk.

Cancer Council encourages people to increase the amount of incidental activity they
do, such as walking to work or the shops, as this can help increase the total amount
of energy burnt and help maintain a healthy weight.
GENERAL STATISTICS

1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia. In NSW alone, around 36,600 people will
be diagnosed with cancer and about 13,240 people will die from the disease this year.

Cancer Council NSW has invested over $100 million in research over the last 10 years.

Thanks to the breakthroughs made by cancer researchers, the number of people dying
from cancer has fallen by 13 per cent in the last 10 years.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

Funds raised will go toward vital cancer research, prevention, information and support
services like the Cancer Council Helpline (13 11 20).

As the largest non-government funder of cancer research in NSW, Cancer Council NSW is
able to drive remarkable discoveries. In 2011 alone we invested $16 million into
research.

To fund this research, we rely on the generosity of our supporters – and we make sure
that the largest segment of every donor dollar is committed to research activities.
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED?
Unmistakable progress has been made and is continuing to be made in the fight against
cancer.

While the number of people diagnosed with cancer has crept up over the past 10 years,
the number of people dying from cancer has fallen by 13%.

Survival rates for almost every type of cancer have improved, with the 5-year survival
rate for stomach cancer increasing by over 30% since the early 1990s.

Childhood leukaemia, an incurable disease as recently as the 1960s, now has a better
than 80% survival rate.
These improvements could not have been accomplished without the breakthroughs made
by cancer researchers.
THERE IS STILL A LONG WAY TO GO

Cancer is a long way from being defeated. Cancer diagnoses are predicted to increase by
30% over the next ten years compared to the previous decade, mostly due to lifestyle
factors such as alcohol consumption, obesity and lack of physical activity, as well as the
aging population.

Some cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, still have dismal survival rates. Excellent
progress has been made, but it’s only with your support that we can keep working to
defeat cancer once and for all!
For more information on Cancer Council NSW, visit www.cancercouncil.com.au.