Canada’s new cancer figures reflect a mixed message: study – CBC

People increasingly don’t have a family doctor to oversee or guide their cancer care

May 13, 2024

Cancer continues to be the biggest killer in Canada, but more people are surviving up to 25 years after being diagnosed, a new study has found.

Cancer is the leading cause of premature death, researchers said in Monday’s issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It also accounted for 25 per cent of deaths in 2022, according to Statistics Canada data.

Overall, the researchers projected there will be 247,100 new cancer diagnoses and 88,100 cancer deaths in 2024.

That’s up from an estimated 239,100 cancer cases and 86,700 cancer deaths last year.

They attributed the increase to an aging and growing population. However, overall case and death rates are declining.

“The good news is that we’re doing better at treating these cancers and more people are surviving,” said study author Darren Brenner, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, in an interview with CBC News.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cancer-cmaj-may-1.7200589