A recent news article states that cancer cases in Canada will remain at high levels in the coming year. CBC wrote about an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Excerpts are as follows:
A new paper published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal offers fresh modelling showing that cancer cases and deaths will remain at high levels in the year ahead — including "concerning trends" showing a projected rise in multiple types of cancer, including cancers of the head and neck. The report suggests Canada will face more than 254,000 projected new cancer cases — and close to 88,000 deaths — in 2026 alone.
Some trends, the research team said, weren’t surprising: cancer continues to be the leading cause of death in Canada, and several common types — lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers — are projected to make up nearly half of all new cases. On the positive side, overall age-standardized death rates are projected to keep dropping, reflecting ongoing advancements in treatments that are helping patients live longer, fuller lives.
The advent of immunotherapy, more targeted treatment and a better understanding of how cancers behave and change are all factors making a difference for modern Canadian cancer patients.
The researchers project there will be increases in the number of cases of cervical cancer, cancers of the head and neck, melanoma, pancreatic cancer and uterine cancer. Both cervical and head and neck cancers are strongly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the study authors say, and both can also be prevented through HPV immunization programs.
Despite widespread use of HPV shots — and hopeful research from other countries such as Australia, Denmark and Rwanda where vaccination efforts may be close to wiping out cervical cancer — Canada isn’t seeing the same level of progress.
"After decades of meaningful declines, incidence rates of cervical cancer have plateaued well above the World Health Organization elimination target (less than four per 100,000 females) and have even increased among younger age groups," notes the CMAJ paper.
The CMAJ study noted that two of the other rising cancers — pancreatic and uterine — may be linked to the high number of Canadians facing obesity and the impact of "excess body size and related biological mechanisms, including insulin resistance, on cancer development."
"The death rate for uterine cancer has increased alarmingly," Gillis said.
One recent Statistics Canada report noted that excess body size is at its highest level yet, with nearly half of all adults "having a waist circumference that elevates their risk for these and several other cancers," the paper continued.
Meanwhile, the top cancer killer is projected to remain lung cancer, though the face of those bearing the brunt of that disease is changing dramatically.
"A higher proportion of lung cancers among females than males are not explained by tobacco consumption, suggesting that additional exposures — including lifestyle factors, radon and air pollution — may need to be addressed to further reduce incidence of lung cancer," the authors wrote.
As CBC News previously reported, household exposure to radioactive radon gas within millions of homes may be causing more cases of lung cancer in Canadians, along with an estimated 3,200 deaths each year.
Colorectal cancer is expected to remain the second-most common cause of cancer mortality, with more than 9,000 projected deaths in 2025.
The headline-making health threat is now impacting younger Canadians. Overall, colorectal cancer cases are actually dropping, even though deaths remain stubbornly high and emerging research suggests young adults are being diagnosed more often. Toronto-based gastroenterologist Dr. Ian Bookman attributes the overall drop in cases to the effectiveness of screening interventions such as colonoscopies among older populations.
"These are the results of people … either being diagnosed earlier or having advanced polyps removed, preventing the formation of the cancer in the first place," he said.
The concurrent rise in younger adults is happening too fast to be explained by genetics, Bookman added. "We believe lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet choices, perhaps including more processed foods, could be contributing," he said. "On top of that, traditionally, we have never been aggressive at screening this population."
Multiple medical experts agreed there are also ways individuals can try to ward off the threat of cancer. Bookman said increasing physical activity, reducing obesity and eating a diet with high fibre, more fruits and vegetables and less red meat can all contribute to warding off colorectal cancer.
Avoiding smoking and alcohol can also play a role in preventing various types of cancer, while sunscreen use to mitigate UV exposure can be "really impactful" for avoiding melanoma.
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