Cancer occurs when cells are triggered to grow abnormally. Those triggers could include genetics, radiation, and carcinogens — and they go off with alarming frequency.
If current figures hold, approximately one in four Canadians can expect to die of cancer, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. If you're a man, your odds are a little worse: 29 per cent of Canadian men will one day succumb to cancer. For women, the figure is 24 per cent.
Most people who are diagnosed with cancer will eventually die from it: 38 per cent of Canadian women and 44 per cent of Canadian men will one day be told by their doctors that they have some form of cancer.
Lung cancer continues to claim more lives (19,300) than any other cancer — and more than colorectal (8,500), breast (5,300) and prostate (4,200) cancers combined.
Last year, approximately 153,000 Canadians were diagnosed with the disease, with more than 70,000 losing their battles. Cancer kills twice as many people as AIDS worldwide.
That's the bad news. The good news is that we're getting a lot better at detecting, fighting and beating most cancers. Mortality rates are falling for men in all groups and for women under the age of 70. And rates are falling the most for children and adolescents.
| New cases | Deaths | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | |
| All cancers | 153,100 | 78,400 | 74,700 | 70,400 | 37,000 | 33,400 |
| Lung | 22,700 | 12,000 | 10,600 | 19,300 | 10,700 | 8,600 |
| Breast | 22,300 | 160 | 22,200 | 5,300 | 45 | 5,300 |
| Prostate | 20,700 | 20,700 | 4,200 | 4,200 | ||
| Colorectal | 20,000 | 10,800 | 9,100 | 8,500 | 4,600 | 3,900 |
| Non- Hodgkin Lymph. | 6,600 | 3,600 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 1,650 | 1,350 |
| Bladder | 6,400 | 4,700 | 1,650 | 1,700 | 1,200 | 500 |
| Kidney | 4,600 | 2,900 | 1,700 | 1,550 | 970 | 590 |
About 1,300 Canadian children develop cancer each year, but due to advances in the treatment of the most common cancers, the number of deaths is less than one-fifth the number of cases.
On the whole, Canadians are living longer — and the longer you live, the greater your chance of contracting some form of cancer. In 2006, 43 per cent of new cancer cases and 60 per cent of deaths due to cancer occurred among those who were at least 70 years old.
The Canadian Cancer Society touts its seven steps to health:
- Don't smoke.
- Eat your veggies.
- Exercise.
- Stay out of the sun.
- Get screened regularly.
- Visit your doctor and dentist regularly.
- Avoid cancer-causing substances.
Still, you could do everything to reduce your risk of contracting cancer but still develop the disease. You don't have to be a smoker to be diagnosed with lung cancer, for example, although the vast majority of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking.
There are certain cancers you can get from a virus — human papilloma virus (HPV) is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. It is spread through sexual contact and is said to infect half of all sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 22 in North America.
In most women, the virus clears up on its own, but if the infection persists, it can lead to cervical cancer. Health Canada has approved a vaccine for the virus that would protect females between the ages of nine and 26, but full treatment costs about $600 and no province or health insurance plan covers it.
Researchers have also established a strong link between the hepatitis B virus and liver cancer. It's believed that 10 to 20 per cent of people infected with hepatitis B will develop liver cancer. It is a major problem in the developing world, especially parts of Asia and Africa, but in countries where hepatitis B has been a problem and where newborns are routinely vaccinated against the virus, the risk of infection has fallen — as have liver cancer rates.
On Feb. 4, 2000, the World Summit against Cancer for the New Millennium — a gathering of scientists, medical professionals, government agencies, patient and volunteer organizations involved in the battle against cancer — established World Cancer Day, with the goal of establishing a co-operative approach to research, advocacy, prevention and treatment.
The theme of World Cancer Day 2007 was preventing cancer in adults by establishing healthy habits early in childhood, habits such as:
- Providing smoke-free environments for children (no smoking in homes).
- Adopting an energy-balanced lifestyle — be physically active and eat a well-balanced diet.
- Learning the facts about vaccines that can prevent certain forms of cancer.
- Being sun-smart — avoiding over exposure to the sun.
By some estimates, at least 50 per cent of cancers can be prevented through healthy living and policies that protect the public. Yet, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, over six million people will die of cancer this year around the world. The problem is expected to be 50 per cent greater by 2020.
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External Links
- Canadian Cancer Society
- Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
- Breast Cancer Society of Canada
- Canadian Prostate Cancer Network
- Cancer Surveillance On-Line from Health Canada
- New Method of Gene Therapy Alters Immune Cells for Treatment of Advanced Melanoma; Technique May Also Apply to Other Common Cancers
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Health Canada
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Cancer Institute
- Canadian Cancer statistics 2006
- Health Canada: Screening for Colorectal Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada
- U.S. National Cancer Institute
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