The Canadian Cancer Society recently released their 2020 projections for cancer diagnoses and cancer related deaths in Canada. As always, we must continue to take a balanced and planned approach to cancer, a disease that still affects more and more people every year.
In 2020, an estimated 225 800 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer, and 83 300 will die from the disease. This comes with the fact that nearly 1 in 2 Canadians are expected to receive a diagnosis in their lifetime.
All-together, cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, and the older you are, the more likely it will develop and you will be diagnosed. With this, and with our growing and aging population, the number of cases and deaths are likely to continue to increase, year-by-year, for the near future.
Breaking down the projections, the Canadian Cancer Society expects 29 800 cases of lung cancer, 27 700 cases of breast cancer, 26 900 cases of colorectal cancer and 23 300 cases of prostate cancer. Together, this accounts for almost half (48%) of new cancer diagnoses.
Still, our efforts are making a dent. While estimates for the number of diagnoses and deaths are higher than 2019, the rates of both have declined. A smaller percentage of the population will be affected in 2020 than were in 2019. This is all the more reason for Canadians to continue their efforts to stop cancer. One day, we will see the number of new cases and deaths decline, as well as the rate. One day, a patient’s diagnosis will come with confidence that their treatment will work.
In conclusion, the authors suggest that “additional efforts to improve uptake of existing programs, as well as to advance research, prevention, screening and treatment, are needed”. Much work still needs to be done.
To view the Full Report, as well as province specific projections, please follow the link below.