Brain & Central Nervous System Cancer Statistics


What is cancer of the brain and central nervous system?

Brain cancer and cancer of the central nervous system starts in the cells of the brain, spinal cord, the thick layer of protective tissue covering the brain and spinal cord (meninges), the cerebrospinal fluid and the pituitary gland. Tumours of the CNS are often classified as having benign or malignant behaviour. Benign tumours usually grow slowly and rarely spread, whereas malignant tumours may be fast growing and spread within the brain and the spinal cord. The statistics provided in this report only include patients diagnosed with primary brain and CNS cancers, where the tumour has started in the brain and CNS. When cancer starts in another area of the body and spreads to the brain and CNS it is referred to as secondary or metastatic brain and CNS cancer.

In this Fact Sheet, statistics reported for benign brain and CNS tumours also include tumours classified as being of uncertain behaviour.

You can access further information about cancer of the brain and central nervous system, including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from Cancer Council Victoria. You can also call our trusted cancer nurses on 13 11 20 for support and to learn about our range of services for people affected by cancer.

The Victorian Cancer Registry also operates an interactive web portal, Data Explorer, which provides more trends and statistics than published here.

How common is cancer of the brain and central nervous system?

In 2022, 1359 Victorians were diagnosed with brain and CNS cancer. Of these, there were 641 males and 718 females, representing 61% and 39% of the total Victorian brain and CNS cancer diagnoses, respectively.

In 2022, 859 Victorians were diagnosed with benign brain and CNS tumours. Of these, there were 336 males and 523 females, representing 39.1% and 60.9% of the total Victorian non-malignant brain and CNS cancer diagnoses, respectively. Currently, benign brain and CNS cancer is diagnosed at a rate of 7.6 per 100,000 males and 10.6 per 100,000 females. The median age at diagnosis of benign brain and CNS cancer is 58 years in males and 59 in females (Figure 1 & 2).

In 2022, 500 Victorians were diagnosed with malignant brain and CNS tumours. Of these, there were 305 males and 195 females, representing 61% and 39% of the total Victorian malignant brain and CNS cancer diagnoses, respectively. Currently, brain and CNS cancer classified as malignant is diagnosed at a rate of 6.1 per 100,000 males and 4 per 100,000 females.The median age at diagnosis of malignant brain and CNS cancer is 60 years in males and 62 in females (Figure 1 & 2).

Accounting for 1.4% of all cancers diagnosed and 3.7% of all cancer-related deaths in 2022, malignant brain and CNS cancer was the 18th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 8th most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Victoria in 2022.


Figure 1: Distribution of brain & CNS cancer incidence, including malignant tumours and those classified as benign or of uncertain behaviour, in 2022, by sex within age groups
128 133 68 96 91 123 133 147 128 130 93 89 0 40 80 120 160 Under 40 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ Age at diagnosis (years) Number of diagnoses in 2022 Male Female

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


Figure 2: Distribution of brain and CNS cancer incidence, including malignant tumours and those classified as benign or of uncertain behaviour, in 2022, compared to the distribution of the Victorian population in 2022, by 5-year age brackets
0% 4% 8% Percentage of population Population distribution by age 0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+ -0.050 -0.025 0.000 0.025 0.050 0% 4% 8% Percentage of population Brain and CNS cancer distribution by age

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)

Brain and CNS cancer morphology

Figure 4a provides a summary of the different types of cells (morphology) which have caused brain and CNS tumours classified as benign or of uncertain behaviour. Most, 56.9%, present as Meningioma tumours. Figure 4b provides a summary of the different types of cells (morphology) which have caused malignant brain and CNS tumours. Most malignant brain and CNS tumours, 62.3%, present as Glioblastoma tumours.


Figure 4a: Distribution of benign brain and CNS cancer morphologies between 2013-2022
56.9%16.2%12.8%11.3%2.82%
MeningiomaTumours of cranial and spinal nervesPituitary gland tumoursOther cell typesUnspecified cell type

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)

Figure 4b: Distribution of malignant brain and CNS cancer morphologies between 2013-2022
62.3%12.4%8.03%6.56%5.6%3.88%1.29%
GlioblastomaAstrocytomaUnspecified cell typeOther cell typesOligodendrogliomaEpendymomaOligoastrocytoma

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


Geographical variance in cancer of the brain and central nervous system by local government area

Figure 5 demonstrates variation in age-standardised incidence rates of brain and CNS cancer, including malignant tumours and those classified as benign or of uncertain behaviour, by local government areas. Darker shading indicates areas with higher rates of brain and CNS cancer.


Figure 5: Variation in the incidence of cancer of the brain and central nervous system for the period 2018-2022, by location of residence in Victoria

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


Cancer of the brain and central nervous system in people born overseas

Figure 6 shows the age standardised incidence rates of brain and CNS cancer, including malignant tumours and those classified as benign or of uncertain behaviour, in Australian-born Victorians compared to other major migrant groups over the five-year period 2017 to 2021. The highest age standardised incidence rate for brain and CNS cancer was 7.7 for males born in the UK and Ireland region and the lowest rate of 2.7 was observed in males born in the Africa region. The highest age standardised incidence rate for brain and CNS cancer was 11.5 for females born in the Africa region and the lowest rate of 1.6 was observed in females born in the South-East Asia region.


Figure 6: Age standardised incidence rates and 95% confidence intervals for cancer of the brain and central nervous system in Victorians born in Australia compared to Victorians born in other countries for the period 2017-2021, by sex
020406080100North AmericaSouth and Central AmericaAfricaOther EuropeMiddle East and North AfricaSouthern EuropeUK and IrelandNorth-East AsiaSouth-East AsiaSouthern and Central AsiaAustralia and New Zealand
MaleAge standardised incidence rate (per 100,000)

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)


020406080North AmericaSouth and Central AmericaAfricaOther EuropeMiddle East and North AfricaSouthern EuropeUK and IrelandNorth-East AsiaSouth-East AsiaSouthern and Central AsiaAustralia and New Zealand
FemaleAge standardised incidence rate (per 100,000)

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)



Cancer of the brain and central nervous system five-year relative survival

Figure 7 shows the change in 5-year survival for brain and CNS cancer and the 5-year survival trend for all cancers over the same time period. It demonstrates that five-year relative survival has increased for benign brain and CNS cancer between 1982-1986 and 2017-2021 from 89% to 95%. Five-year relative survival has increased for malignant brain and CNS cancer between 1982-1986 and 2017-2021 from 22% to 27%.

Figure 7: Trend in five year relative survival following diagnosis of cancer of the brain and central nervous system in five year brackets, from the period 1982-1986 to 2017-2021
0 20 40 60 80 100 1982-1986 1987-1991 1992-1996 1997-2001 2002-2006 2007-2011 2012-2016 2017-2021 Year 5-year relative survival (%) Five-year relative survival across all cancers Benign Malignant

Source: Victorian Cancer Registry (2024)

This webpage was last updated in August 2024

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