Canada’s cancer rates are declining — but advocates want more support amid COVID-19

Projected data shows there will be an estimated 233,900 new cancer cases and 85,100 cancer deaths in Canada in 2022, according to a new study.

Cancer rates continue to decline in Canada, according to a new study, but with thousands of Canadians expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year, there are calls for more investment and support in the country.

Projected data published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Monday showed that there will be an estimated 233,900 new cancer cases and 85,100 cancer deaths in Canada in 2022.

This represents a slight increase from last year’s estimates due to a growing and ageing population, researchers say.

The study was done by the Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Overall, lung cancer is expected to be the most commonly diagnosed and the leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting for one-quarter of all deaths from cancer in the country this year.

The increased use of tobacco over the past few decades is a contributing factor, said Elizabeth Holmes, senior manager of health policy at the Canadian Cancer Society and an author of the study.

The most common cancer diagnosis in women is projected to be breast, with about one in four cancer diagnoses and in men, prostate cancer, accounting for about one in five new cases.

While there have been advancements in treatments in recent years, more needs to be done to reduce the number of cancer cases and deaths, said Holmes.