This factsheet describes cancer statistics for diagnoses in Northern Territory (NT) residents between 1991–2020. It presents statistics on invasive cancers and three in situ cancers (breast, melanoma, bladder). We also report trends for the most common cancers and cancers associated with screening programs. Cancer mortality rates (defined as the underlying cause of death) are presented for all invasive cancers and by cancer type. Cancer statistics were sourced from the Northern Territory Cancer Registry (NTCR) and Australian Cancer Database. Mortality data (data available up to 2019) were obtained from the Australian Coordinating Registry and estimated resident population derived from Australian Bureau of Statistics. Rates are expressed as the number of new cases (incidence) or deaths (mortality) per 100,000 population and adjusted to the 2001 Australian standard population using direct age-standardisation. Population denominators are a sum of the annualised population where multiple years are reported collectively. Cancers are categorised in accordance with ICD-10.

Cancer is the most common cause of death among non-Aboriginal residents and the second most common cause of death in Aboriginal residents of the Northern Territory (NT). This factsheet reports malignant cancer incidence, mortality and survival in NT residents for 1991 to 2019 for all cancers combined.

Cancer incidence and mortality are important population health outcomes. This fact sheet updates previous Northern Territory (NT) cancer reports to provide long term trends in cancer incidence and mortality between 1991 and 2018. Four data sources were used for this fact sheet: NT cancer data (NT Cancer Registry), Australian cancer data (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare), mortality data (Australian Coordinating Registry) and population data (Australian Bureau of Statistics). The NT population data are estimates of the resident population by age, sex, Indigenous status and health district (1971- 2019). Population data used in this fact sheet differ from previous cancer reports; consequently, caution is advised when comparing rates provided here with rates provided in previous NT cancer reports

This report summarises the overall disease cluster investigation on the fetal death rate and the incidence of head and neck cancers, lung cancer and all cancers combined were higher for Aboriginal residents of the Gunbalanya–Kakadu (G-K) area than for the rest of the Aboriginal population of the Top End of the NT. More details about each stage of the investigation, including study protocols and reports of the conduct and findings of each stage, are available in separate reports for each stage.

This report summarises the overall disease cluster investigation on the fetal death rate and the incidence of head and neck cancers, lung cancer and all cancers combined were higher for Aboriginal residents of the Gunbalanya–Kakadu (G-K) area than for the rest of the Aboriginal population of the Top End of the NT. More details about each stage of the investigation, including study protocols and reports of the conduct and findings of each stage, are available in separate reports for each stage.