More than 134,000 cancer cases will be diagnosed in Australia this year, but death rates are continuing to fall.

In 2008 the rate of new cancer cases was 504 per 100,000 people, but this is expected to fall to 470 this year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s latest Cancer in Australia report.

The report says the decrease is mostly among males, due to a decline in the incidence of prostate cancer – still the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.

For males the report forecasts 16,665 prostate cancer diagnoses this year, followed by colorectal cancer on 9127 cases and 8392 skin melanomas.

In females the forecast is for 17,586 breast cancer cases, followed by 7555 colorectal and 5549 skin melanomas.

The report estimates about 47,800 people will die from cancer this year – 131 per day.

But the death rate is falling: there were 209 deaths per 100,000 people in 1982, compared with an estimated 161 for this year.

In males the most common cause of death this year will be lung cancer – an estimated 5179 cases – followed by prostate on 3452 and colorectal on 2136.

In females it is forecast 3842 will die from lung cancer, followed by 3087 with breast cancer and 1978 from colorectal cancer.

From 2009-13 the survival rate for all cancers was 68%.

The report says Australia generally has better cancer survival rates than other countries and regions, according to World Health Organisation comparisons.