Canadian stage data for common cancers now available for first time

TORONTO | Pan-Canadian stage data for the four most common cancers are being collected and reported for the first time by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.The organization says the data will provide powerful information to plan care and predict outcomes, and can also help policy-makers and others determine where best to focus efforts to reduce the burden of cancer, whether through screening and early detection or better access to improved treatment.The report, Cancer Stage in Performance Measurement: A First Look, released Feb. 24, shows the baseline results of the National Staging Initiative, in which nine provinces collected and shared population-based stage data for Canadians diagnosed with breast, colorectal, lung or prostate cancer."The perennial issue for the cancer control community when we start to see differences in outcomes is, is it due to valuable healthcare resources being placed in early detection or better treatment? Which path will get us to less disease and better outcomes faster? Collecting national staging data brings us closer to an answer," says Dr. Heather Bryant, vice president of cancer control at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.Knowing the stage of cancer when it is first diagnosed helps identify treatment options, and over time it may also indicate the effectiveness of screening programs. In combination with data on treatment, stage data can help track whether cancer care is being delivered according to recommended practice guidelines.Cancers are staged based on the size or extent of the primary tumour, whether cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes and whether the cancer has spread to other distant parts of the body. Stage 0 cancers are the earliest form of the disease, while Stage IV cancers are the most advanced.Figures from the report show the vast majority of Canadians diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 had Stage I or II disease, while colorectal cancer was most commonly diagnosed at Stage III, when it is still curable through surgery and chemotherapy. The incidence rate of Stage IV lung cancer was found to be more than twice that of Stage I or II.Data on cancer survival-by-stage are also being collected and will be available later this year. Read more about the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

Canadian stage data for common cancers now available for first time

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