Cancer in brief...

• Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in Canada.
• The increasing number of cancer cases in Canada is primarily due to a growing and aging population.
• Cancer risk increases with age. More than 1 out of 2 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, while 1 in 4 will die from cancer. The risk of dying from cancer is marginally higher in men than in women.

Estimates for Cancer Incidence and Mortality

• About 177,800 new cases of cancer and 75,000 deaths from cancer are expected in Canada in 2011.
• These statistics exclude 74,100 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancers (non-MSC). Non-MSC represents close to a third of all new cases and 270 deaths per year and is thus accounted for separately.
• Despite standardized statistics, the number of new cases continues to rise in Canada; an additional 4,000 new cases are estimated for 2011 as compared to 2010.
• There are almost 480 new cases of cancer diagnosed each day in Canada (excluding non-MSC). This represents 20 new cancer diagnoses per hour.
• Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women combined, followed by colorectal cancer.

There is hope, thanks to research…

• Notable declines in mortality, for all cancers combined, have occurred in both sexes and in most age groups despite an increase in deaths for certain types of cancer, suggesting better survival for other types of cancers. It is expected that the number of deaths from cancer in 2011 will be lower by 1,200 than in 2010.

References