Cancer is the Number One Cause of Early Death in Canada

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 16 Apr 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Cancer is the number one cause of early death in Canada, according to Canadian Cancer Statistics 2004 released today by the Canadian Cancer Society.

"This disease is robbing Canadians of precious years of life and productivity," says Heather Logan, Director, Cancer Control Policy, Canadian Cancer Society. "In 2000, more than 950,000 potential years of life were lost to Canadians because of cancer."

Cancer is also robbing Canada's economy. Of the total indirect costs of illness in Canada in 1998 ($75 billion), cancer accounted for $11.8 billion (16 per cent), ranking second overall.

Cancer was responsible for almost one-third of premature death costs (32 per cent), reflecting the fact that cancer is the leading cause of early death in Canada. Indirect costs include estimates of the value of life lost due to premature death and the value of activity days lost due to disability.

This year's Canadian Cancer Statistics features a section on the economic burden of cancer in Canada.

The 2004 statistics also show that while a person's individual risk of developing cancer remains relatively stable, the number of new cancer cases and deaths have been rising steadily as the Canadian population increases and ages.

Experts project that the number of new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in Canada will increase by 60 per cent over the next two decades.

"Trends suggest that by 2010 cancer will be the leading cause of death in Canada," says Dr. Barbara Whylie, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Cancer Society. "This disease is taking a huge toll on Canadians personally. It's straining our healthcare system and it's going to get worse as our population ages. Canada urgently needs to implement a national coordinated strategy to fight cancer."

"In Canada, we are fortunate to have dedicated comprehensive cancer agencies and programs that give Canadians access to the best treatments and care, as well as an extensive network of charitable and non-governmental organizations to help Canadians with cancer, and their families, cope with the impacts of the disease," says the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Health, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister Responsible for Official Languages.

"Effective cancer control is a complex process that requires the collaborative efforts of all cancer stakeholders across a wide variety of sectors. The Government of Canada is working with non-governmental organizations and provincial and territorial governments to help reduce incidence, illness and death, through the development of a cancer control strategy for Canada."

Whylie says that the need for a national strategy to fight cancer was identified in the late 1990s by four groups - the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies, Health Canada and the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

These groups spearheaded the creation of a Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control to encourage collaborative action. The goals of the strategy are to reduce risk of developing cancer, reduce risk of dying of cancer, and to improve cancer care (screening, treatment, quality of life and access to services).

"The rising number of new cancer cases presents a major challenge to Canada's healthcare system," says Whylie. "It's imperative that we start to implement a strategy as soon as possible so the cancer crisis in Canada can be defused."

Early death or premature death is defined by calculating the years that people would have lived if they had not died prematurely from cancer, based on a life expectancy of 75.

Canadian Cancer Statistics 2004 is prepared, printed and distributed through a collaboration of the Canadian Cancer Society, Health Canada, the National Cancer Institute of Canada, Statistics Canada, provincial/territorial cancer registries, as well as university-based and provincial/territorial cancer agency based cancer researchers.

The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.

For more information, please contact:

Kerstin Ring
mailto:kring@cancer.ca
Senior Manager, Communications
Canadian Cancer Society
(416) 934-5664

André Beaulieu
French media contact
Canadian Cancer Society
(514) 393-3444

Aggie Adamczyk
Media Relations Officer
Health Canada
(613) 941-8189

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