Current Incidence and Mortality

-An estimated 153,100 new cases of cancer and 70,400 deaths from cancer will occur in Canada in 2006.

-The total number of lung cancer cases (men and women combined) is greater than the number of either prostate or breast cancer cases.

-Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women.

-Overall, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer.

Geographic Patterns of Cancer Occurrence

-Generally, both incidence and mortality rates are higher in Atlantic Canada and Quebec and lowest in British Columbia.

-Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates continue to be higher in Atlantic Canada and Quebec and lowest in British Columbia.

Trends in Incidence and Mortality

-The increased number of new cases of cancer is primarily due to an increasing and aging population.

-Mortality rates due to prostate cancer are dropping.

-Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates continue to climb among women.

-Excluding lung cancer, mortality rates have dropped 20% in women since 1979.

-Non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidence and mortality rates continue to rise.

Age and Sex Distribution of Cancer

-43% of new cancer cases and 60% of deaths due to cancer occur among those who are at least 70 years old.

-Cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in females than males during the reproductive years although males have higher rates at all other stages of life.

-Mortality is declining for males at all ages and for females under 70. Declines are most rapid in children and adolescents (ages 0-19).

Probability of Developing/Dying from Cancer

-On the basis of current incidence rates, 38% of Canadian women and 44% of men will develop cancer during their lifetimes.

-On the basis of current mortality rates, 24% of women and 29% of men, or approximately 1 out of every 4 Canadians, will die from cancer.

Potential Years of Life Lost Due to Cancer

-Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of premature death due to cancer.

-Smoking is responsible for 28% of potential years of life lost (PYLL) due to cancer.

Prevalence

-2.4% of Canadian men and 2.7% of Canadian women have had a diagnosis of cancer in the previous 15 years.

-1.0% of the female population are survivors of breast cancer, and 0.7% of the male population are survivors of prostate cancer, diagnosed within the previous 15 years.

Five-year Relative Survival, 1995-1997

-Relative survival ratios were lowest for pancreatic, esophageal and lung cancer.

-Comparison of survival estimates can help to identify gaps and establish priorities for systemic change that may lead to improvement in survival.

-Relative survival for lung cancer tends to decline with increasing age.

-Relative survival ratios were best for thyroid, testicular, prostate cancer and melanoma.

Cancer in Children

-About 1,300 Canadian children develop cancer each year, but due to the successful treatment of the most common cancers, the number of deaths is less than one-fifth the number of cases.

Progress in Cancer Control: Screening

-Despite evidence to support population-based screening for cervical, breast and colorectal cancers, participation in screening for these 3 cancers remains suboptimal, particularly for colorectal cancer.

-Although screening is most effective if offered within the context of an organized program, such programs exist in all provinces and territories (except Nunavut) only for breast cancer screening.

-Largely as a result of long-standing opportunistic screening for cervical cancer with the Pap test, incidence and mortality rates have declined by about 50% and 60%, respectively, since 1977.

-Although breast cancer screening with mammography and clinical breast examination could reduce mortality by nearly one-third if most women aged 50-69 were regularly screened, only 34% participate in organized screening nationally, while about 60% report recent screening either within or outside of an organized program.

-Colorectal cancer screening using biennial fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) can result in reductions to both incidence and mortality rates. In spite of this, there is no organized colorectal cancer screening program in Canada and very few Canadians report having had recent FOBT.

-There is insufficient scientific evidence to support population-based prostate cancer screening, yet more men are being screened for prostate cancer than for colorectal cancer.

-Research is ongoing to evaluate screening for prostate and lung cancer, which together account for nearly 24,000 deaths in Canada annually.

[statistics provided by www.cancer.ca]