Canadians are living longer with cancer, cancer society finds

There’s good news and some troubling news in the latest report from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).

People are living longer with cancer, but the society is worried about the number of cases being missed.

Its report points out that more than 1.5 million people in Canada were diagnosed with cancer in the 25 years leading up to January 2018, and were still alive on that date. More than half of them lived with cancer for at least five years.

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“Investments in research are paying off in the form of better methods of timely detection and more effective treatments, and as a result, we’re now seeing more people surviving cancer and living longer with and beyond the disease,” Dr. Jennifer Gillis, CCS senior manager of surveillance, said. “There has been much accomplished for us to collectively celebrate but these new data also reveal that our work is not nearly done.”

In 2012, approximately 193,000 people across the country were diagnosed with cancer, with the number rising to 206,000 in 2017. The CCS estimates that just under 234,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease just this year, explaining that the growth is largely due to Canada’s aging and growing population.

Researchers are calling for more investment in health care and disease management as they predict an aging, sicker population will further strain an already stretched system.

“Increasing prevalence – more people being diagnosed and more surviving – creates long-term strain on our healthcare system and underlines why we must work together to create a system that can evolve as patients’ needs evolve from diagnosis through survival or end of life care,” Gillis explained.

Researchers also want to know things like the various socioeconomic factors that make some people able to live longer than others. Race-based data is among the information they’re looking for.

Looking at another factor — rural versus urban cancer patients — the society found slightly higher rates of cancer among rural residents, likely because they tend to be older, may have less access to screening and care, and live in regions where risk factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity tend to be more common.

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