Upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers have overtaken lung cancer to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia for the first time, according to a new analysis of national mortality data.
Research from the Pancare Foundation and analysts Provocate found that upper gastrointestinal cancers were responsible for 9,301 deaths in 2024. That represents about 18 percent of all cancer deaths nationally.
Lung cancer – the unwanted record for decades – was responsible for 9,119 deaths, or about 17 percent.
The findings are based on the latest cause of death data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), published in November 2025, and mark a significant shift in Australian cancer mortality patterns.
Mark Buzza, head of research, innovation and advocacy at the Pancare Foundation, said the analysis reveals a growing but often overlooked health burden.
“The Pancare-Provocate analysis paints a disturbing picture for thousands of Australians, with almost one in five cancer deaths now caused by cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, which affect organs essential for swallowing, digesting and processing food, regulating glucose and producing hormones,” he said.
Cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract include pancreatic, liver, stomach, esophageal, and biliary cancers, a group of diseases that affect the digestive system that often develop without obvious early warning signs and can be difficult to diagnose quickly.
Rapidly rising deaths
The Pancare-Provocate study examined ABS mortality data over a 20-year period between 2004 and 2024, alongside a national survey of more than 1,000 Australian adults conducted by YouGov in December 2025.
The data shows that the number of deaths from upper gastrointestinal cancers has risen sharply over the past decade. Between 2014 and 2024, deaths from cancer increased by 35 percent.
That growth in the death rate is roughly double the increase recorded for all cancers combined, which rose 18 percent over the same period. The number of lung cancer deaths increased by 10 percent.
Over longer time periods, the study also identified upper gastrointestinal cancers as the fastest growing tumor stream in Australia over five, ten and twenty years.
Symptoms are often difficult to identify early and can be mistaken for common digestive problems, Buzza said. Early signs may include persistent heartburn or indigestion, persistent stomach or back pain, unexplained weight loss, difficulty swallowing, jaundice, or changes in appetite.
“A combination of low awareness, late diagnoses and a lack of targeted treatment options play a key role in why upper gastrointestinal cancer has one of the lowest survival rates in the country – and now the highest number of cancer-related deaths in Australia,” he said.
The consciousness gap
Despite the rising death toll, the study found that public understanding of the impact of upper gastrointestinal cancers remains limited.
Polls conducted for the analysis found that only two percent of Australians correctly identified upper gastrointestinal cancer as the cancer group responsible for the most deaths.
Instead, 21 percent believed that lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths. Skin and breast cancer were also frequently nominated, despite scoring significantly lower in terms of mortality.
“Many thousands of Australians and their loved ones are affected by an upper gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis every year,” Buzza said.
“Upper gastrointestinal cancers now account for almost one in five cancer deaths, but have received less than one in ten cancer research dollars in Australia in recent years.”
Buzza said improving awareness and encouraging people to seek medical advice if symptoms persist could help improve outcomes.
“That’s why we encourage people to get the facts, ‘trust their gut’ and seek advice from their GP if something doesn’t feel right, because early detection is crucial,” he said.
“Cancer deaths are still too high across the board in Australia and one of the aims of this analysis is to advocate for increased funding for all cancers, including upper gastrointestinal cancers.”
For the latest news from SBS News, download our app And subscribe to our newsletter.
#disturbing #picture #Australias #deadliest #cancer #longer #lung #cancer