Cancer prevalence on the rise in Canada shows special report

For the first time, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) together with Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, have assembled data on the prevalence of cancer for a period of 25 years: 1993 to 2018. It was previously estimated that one million Canadians have or have had cancer. This figure, dating back to 2012, has since continued to increase—with new data now informing an estimate of 1.5 million. In about 60% of these 1.5 million people, the diagnosis dates from five to 25 years. Read: Follicular lymphoma: 6-year follow-up of the RELEVANCE trial In its report, the CCS explains that this significant increase “results from both improved survival and increased incidence,” and that it “raises a mixture of optimism and concern.” “Investments in research are paying off in the form of better methods of timely detection and more effective treatments, and as a result, we are now seeing more people surviving cancer and staying alive longer when they have or have had the disease,” said CCS senior surveillance operations manager Jennifer Gillis. “A lot of progress has been made and we have something to celebrate collectively, but this new data also reminds us that our work is far from done." In 2012, approximately 193,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in Canada. That number jumped to nearly 206,000 in 2017. And according to the latest CCS estimates, 233,900 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year, “largely because of the growing and aging population.” Also in 2022, 85,100 Canadians are expected to die from cancer. Read: Using blood platelets to detect cancer The most frequently diagnosed cancers are lung cancer (30,000 diagnoses expected in 2022 in Canada), breast cancer in women (28,600) and prostate cancer in men (24,600). Bladder, liver and esophageal cancers are three times more prevalent in men than in women, while thyroid cancer is three times more prevalent in women. Of all cancers, lung cancer is also the deadliest (24.3% of all cancer deaths), followed by colorectal (11.0%), pancreatic (6.7%) and breast cancers (6.5%). If lung and colorectal cancers are not among the most prevalent, "it is because they have lower chances of survival while they have a higher incidence," noted the head of cancer statistics at Statistics Canada, Jean-Michel Billette. Conversely, melanoma of the skin is less frequently diagnosed, but since it has a five-year survival greater than 90%, while being the fourth most prevalent. With regard to colorectal and lung cancers, Billette notes, however, that their incidence has been decreasing since 2015. “For colorectal cancer, the decrease is attributable to the increased effectiveness of screening campaigns among 50 to changes in lifestyle. As for lung cancer, this goes hand in hand with the decline in smoking. Serious challenges for health systems "The growing prevalence . . . is causing long-term pressures on our healthcare system and demonstrates why we need to work together to create a system that can evolve as patient needs change, from diagnosis to to life-sustaining or end-of-life care," said Gillis, pointing out that Canadian healthcare systems have already experienced delays and service interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, "which could increase the number of cancers diagnosed at an advanced stage.” Indeed, Billette expects so. “We clearly saw the number of diagnoses drop during the first months of the pandemic and we saw some catch-up during the last four months of 2021.” While he hasn't got accurate data for 2022, he says there were far fewer diagnoses than expected in 2020 and they will eventually be found in subsequent years. In this context, the CCS calls on all levels of government to work together to create a sustainable healthcare system, one that requires immediate investment to ensure equitable and timely access to quality care. “Without new investments and supportive policies, our healthcare system will not have enough resources to respond to the growing number of Canadians who will be diagnosed with cancer,” the pan-Canadian organization asserted. This article has been translated from its original French and originally appeared on our sister site Profession Santé. Read: QUIZ: Test your knowledge of recovery after prostate surgery

Cancer prevalence on the rise in Canada shows special report

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