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. 2024 May 12;196(18):E615-E623.
doi: 10.1503/cmaj.240095.

Projected estimates of cancer in Canada in 2024

Darren R Brenner  1 , Jennifer Gillis  2 , Alain A Demers  2 , Larry F Ellison  2 , Jean-Michel Billette  2 , Shary Xinyu Zhang  2 , JiaQi Leon Liu  2 , Ryan R Woods  2 , Christian Finley  2 , Natalie Fitzgerald  2 , Nathalie Saint-Jacques  2 , Lorraine Shack  2 , Donna Turner  2 ; Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee
Affiliations

Projected estimates of cancer in Canada in 2024

Darren R Brenner et al. CMAJ. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Cancer surveillance data are essential to help understand where gaps exist and progress is being made in cancer control. We sought to summarize the expected impact of cancer in Canada in 2024, with projections of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer by sex and province or territory for all ages combined.

Methods: We obtained data on new cancer cases (i.e., incidence, 1984-2019) and deaths from cancer (i.e., mortality, 1984-2020) from the Canadian Cancer Registry and Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, respectively. We projected cancer incidence and mortality counts and rates to 2024 for 23 types of cancer, overall, by sex, and by province or territory. We calculated age-standardized rates using data from the 2011 Canadian standard population.

Results: In 2024, the number of new cancer cases and deaths from cancer are expected to reach 247 100 and 88 100, respectively. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and mortality rate (ASMR) are projected to decrease slightly from previous years for both males and females, with higher rates among males (ASIR 562.2 per 100 000 and ASMR 209.6 per 100 000 among males; ASIR 495.9 per 100 000 and ASMR 152.8 per 100 000 among females). The ASIRs and ASMRs of several common cancers are projected to continue to decrease (i.e., lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer), while those of several others are projected to increase (i.e., liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma).

Interpretation: Although the overall incidence of cancer and associated mortality are declining, new cases and deaths in Canada are expected to increase in 2024, largely because of the growing and aging population. Efforts in prevention, screening, and treatment have reduced the impact of some cancers, but these short-term projections highlight the potential effect of cancer on people and health care systems in Canada.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests:: Darren Brenner reports support from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Ryan Woods reports funding from the BC Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, and Statistics Canada. Donna Turner reports support to attend meetings from the Canadian Cancer Society. No other competing interests were declared.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Age-standardized incidence rates for (A) the most common cancers (lung, colorectal, prostate, breast) and (B) additional cancers (liver and hepatic bile duct, melanoma, kidney and renal pelvis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, head and neck) in Canada, by sex, 1984–2024. Data from 1984 to 1991 were from the National Cancer Incidence Reporting System and data from 1992 to 2019 were from the Canadian Cancer Registry. Analyses were conducted by Statistics Canada at the Centre for Population Health Data. Projected data for 2020–2024 are shown in shaded areas.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Age-standardized mortality rates for (A) the most common cancers (lung, colorectal, prostate, breast, pancreas) and (B) additional cancers (liver and hepatic bile duct, melanoma, kidney and renal pelvis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, head and neck), in Canada, by sex, 1984–2024. Data from 1984 to 2020 were from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database. Analyses were conducted by Statistics Canada at the Centre for Population Health Data. Projected data for 2020–2024 are shown in shaded areas.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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