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New cancer data reveals 5 key takeaways in Canada
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A quarter-century of cancer data is now available in a report jointly released by the Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada on Tuesday.
The Canadian Cancer Statistics 2022 special report on cancer prevalence sheds light on the most common forms of cancer over the 25 years between 1994 and 2018, as well as the populations most likely to be diagnosed.
As the number of people living with cancer, or living post-cancer, in Canada rises, so will the demand for cancer support and care.
The report aims to help identify gaps in health care and cancer care, and offer some clues as to how resources can be allocated to fill those gaps, according to Jeff Latimer, director general of health statistics with Statistics Canada.
“Timely and accurate data on cancer prevalence in Canada is critical to understanding the disease’s toll on society and our healthcare system,” Latimer said in a media release issued on Tuesday.
“Data are invaluable in assessing cancer outcomes, measuring how far we’ve come, and identifying areas for improvement.”
CTVNews.ca explores some key findings from the report below.
All of the following rates are per 100,000 people, over a period of 25 years, unless noted otherwise. The report did not include data for Quebec.
PREVALENCE BY TYPE
According to the report, cancer in reproductive organs and colorectal cancer are most prevalent across Canada, by a wide margin.
From 1994 to 2018, breast cancer accounted for 19.4 per cent of all diagnoses, while prostate cancer accounted for 17.8 per cent and colorectal cancer accounted for 11.3 per cent.
A graph showing the prevalence of cancer per 100,000 people by type as of 2018. (Canadian Cancer Registry/Canadian Cancer Society)Melanoma accounted for 5.5 per cent of diagnoses, thyroid cancer accounted for 5 per cent, bladder cancer for 4.6 per cent, non-hodgkin lymphoma for 4.5 per cent, uterine cancer for 4.4 per cent, lung and bronchus cancers for 4.1 per cent, kidney and renal pelvis cancer for 3.2 per cent and all other cancers for 20.2 per cent.
PREVALENCE BY DURATION
According to the study, most people – 60.9 per cent – who had cancer or were living post-cancer were five to 25 years out from their diagnosis. This duration accounted for the majority of people who had been diagnosed with breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.
A further 20.7 per cent were between two and five years out, and 18.4 per cent were zero to two years out.
Among people with lung and bronchus cancers, 37.5 per cent were between zero and two years out from diagnosis, 37.1 per cent were between five and 25 years out and 25.4 per cent were between two and five years out.
According to the report, the first couple of years after diagnosis are when patients are most likely to be receiving primary cancer treatment or recovering from its effects.
“The third to fifth year after diagnosis is a period that typically requires close clinical follow-up for recurrence or another primary cancer, as well as supportive care,” the report states.
“People alive more than five years after a cancer diagnosis have likely completed their treatment, but some may still need clinical monitoring and supportive care.”
RURAL-URBAN PREVALENCE
Over study periods of two and five years, all cancers were generally more prevalent in rural settings compared to urban settings.
This was the case in all provinces and territories, except Nunavut where the entire population was considered rural, and Manitoba, where prevalence was about equal.
A graph showing rural and urban cancer prevalence per 100,000 people as of 2018. (Canadian Cancer Registry/Canadian Cancer Society)One factor driving this urban-rural divide is likely age, the report states, since Canadians living in rural areas are typically older than those living in urban areas and cancer diagnosis rates are higher in seniors.
The report said established cancer risk factors “such as smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity” are also more common among people living in rural areas, compared to those in urban areas.
PREVALENCE BY PROVINCE
Between 1994 and 2018, cancer rates were highest in the eastern provinces and Ontario, and generally lower in the central and western provinces.
Specifically, the prevalence of cancer was highest in Newfoundland and Labrador, followed by New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, in that order. Quebec was not included.
A graph showing cancer prevalence per 100,000 people by province as of 2018. (Canadian Cancer Registry/Canadian Cancer Society)As with rates in urban and rural settings, the authors said differences in age distribution, risk factors and diagnostics influence the rates in each province.
PREVALENCE OVER TIME
The study found national cancer rates per 100,000 people rose gradually over 25 years, from 1994 to 2018. However, the authors attribute the increase to an aging population, as well as better cancer screening and treatments, which both increase the odds of survival across certain cancer types.
The report did not look at environmental factors that might contribute to cancer rates and outcomes, such as exposure to known carcinogens, and said the national data needed to better understand those factors in Canada are “limited or lacking.”
“Together the cancer control community is working to address these important data and knowledge gaps so that we can better identify disparities in outcomes that require increased attention and investment,” the report concludes.
The head of one of Canada’s largest police forces met with a Sri Lankan inspector general of police who two weeks earlier had been found by the South Asian country’s highest court to have “participated in the torture” of an arrested man.
Photos published by Sri Lankan media, including the Ceylon Today, an English-language daily newspaper, show Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah in uniform posing alongside senior Sri Lankan officers on Dec. 29, 2023 at police headquarters in the capital Colombo – a visit a Peel police spokesperson says Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP had been made aware of ahead of time.
One of the law enforcement officials in the photos was the inspector-general of Sri Lankan police, Deshabandu Tennakoon, who earlier that month was ordered to pay compensation for taking part in “mercilessly” beating a man.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah signs a guestbook at Sri Lankan police headquarters in Colombo, as the country’s inspector general Deshabandu Tennakoon stands behind him. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court found he took part in the torture of an arrested man. (Credit: Ceylon Today).
Ceylon Today
On Dec. 14, 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled Tennakoon was involved in the brutal arrest of a man suspected of theft, holding him in what the court called the “torture chamber” of the police station for more than 24 hours, striking and suffocating him, and rubbing chili powder on his genitals.
Dr. Thusiyan Nandakumar, a physician who also runs the London, U.K.-based outlet the Tamil Guardian, called it a “stain on Canada’s reputation.”
“To see someone of (Duraiappah’s) stature receive a guard of honour from that very same institution that’s responsible for so many abuses was shocking, to say the least,” Nandakumar said.
Duraiappah declined Global News’ request for an interview. In a statement, a Peel Regional Police spokesperson called his trip to Sri Lanka “personal” and said there is “no ongoing initiative or collaboration between Peel Regional Police and any organization in Sri Lanka.”
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah wears his uniform and walks by Sri Lankan soldiers in a visit Peel police describe as a “personal” trip. (Credit: Ceylon Today).
Ceylon Today
Duraippah was photographed multiple times during his visit wearing his Peel police uniform.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan – a former NDP MP and Canada’s first Tamil member of Parliament – says when someone wears a uniform, “you’re representing the organization for which you are the chief.”
Duraippah is the only police chief of Sri Lankan descent outside the South Asian nation, according to Peel police, which operates in Mississauga and Brampton, Ont.
“(It’s) very harmful to me as a Canadian, as someone who grew up in the region of Peel, and all the people who continue to live in Peel and who identify as Tamil, in my opinion,” Sitsabaiesan said.
The Peel spokesperson said Duraiappah accepted an invitation from Sri Lankan police officers while he was on a family vacation to the country of his birth.
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The spokesperson would not confirm when asked if Duraiappah had met directly with Tennakoon beyond the photos, which show them holding a plaque together and Tennakoon standing behind Duraiappah while he signed a guestbook.
It’s not clear whether the event photographed was the only meeting or whether any additional ones were held, including whether Duraiappah and Tennakoon met outside of the moment they were photographed together.
Another Peel spokesperson added that “the Chief discussed the requests for meetings received with Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP.”
The RCMP says the force provided information to Duraiappah about Tennakoon, including about the recent court ruling, ahead of time.
“The Government of Canada did not organize the visit, which was considered a personal visit. However, given the RCMP’s close working relationship with Peel Regional Police, the RCMP Liaison Officer for Sri Lanka offered to facilitate Chief Duraiappah with arrangements involving police agencies in Sri Lanka,” an RCMP spokesperson said in response to questions from Global News.
“Information was provided to Chief Duraiappah for his situational awareness about recent developments in Sri Lanka, including the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s ruling on Chief Tennakoon.”
Global Affairs Canada also said the visit was “personal.”
“The Government of Canada did not organize the visit” and “as is customary for meetings with high-level officials, staff from the High Commission of Canada to Sri Lanka accompanied the Chief as a courtesy,” Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Marilyn Guèvremont said.
Sitsabaiesan says “alarm bells should have gone off” given the country’s human rights record.
In October 2022, Canada adopted a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling on Sri Lanka to address the “human rights, economic and political crises” in the country.
The following year it sanctioned four government officials for “human rights violations on the island” and commemorated the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day for the first time – marking the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamils during the country’s 26-year civil war.
“Canada is well-versed in the crimes that took place. It’s not something that Ottawa is blind to,” Nandakumar said.
While it’s not unusual for western officers to visit, collaborate or train police forces in developing countries, some have recently distanced themselves from Sri Lankan authorities.
In 2021, Scotland ended its training program for officers in the country over allegations of human rights abuses.
In January of this year, the United Nations criticized Sri Lankan police for their “heavy handed” anti-drug crackdown, with reports of arbitrary arrests, torture and public strip searches.
Tennakoon’s recent appointment as police chief shows “much about how law enforcement authorities in the island operate with impunity,” Neil DeVotta, an expert on South Asia and politics professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, said in an e-mail to Global News.
Nandakumar says the Peel chief’s visit to the Sri Lankan police headquarters raises questions about judgement.
“When a senior Canadian official goes to meet with forces accused of such egregious crimes … to see something like that take place, it was very disconcerting.”
“I think an apology is needed,” he said.
The RCMP say a body that was recovered by authorities in Washington state is believed to be one of two kayakers reported missing off Vancouver Island on Saturday.
Const. Alex Bérubé said the identity of the body found on San Juan Island, just south of the border, is still to be confirmed by the coroner.
A search has been underway in the waters off Sidney, B.C., about 25 kilometres north of Victoria, since the two kayakers were reported missing.
RCMP previously said Daniel MacAlpine, 36, and Nicolas West, 26, went missing while kayaking from D’Arcy Island to View Beach on Saturday afternoon. They were in a teal blue, fibreglass, two-person kayak.
Police said members of the Central Saanich Police Department and Peninsula Emergency Measures Organization search and rescue were involved in the search, and the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre and Canadian Coast Guard were also assisting.
Digital WritersThe Weather Network
Updated on Apr. 23, 2024, 1:30 PM
Prepare for multiple rounds of April snowfall this week, as Labrador braces for wintry conditions. This onslaught of snow is expected to blanket the region, potentially leading to hazardous travel conditions and disruptions throughout the week
As we march even deeper into the heart of the spring season, many parts of Canada are finding it tough to find any consistent signs of warming weather. Add to the mix periods of snow and wintry precipitation, and it’s safe to say the winter season is certainly not going out without a strong fight.
This week, parts of the East Coast will bear the brunt of the winter weather, with multiple rounds of April snowfall stacking up in Labrador. The chances for snow flurries will stick around all week long, bringing as much as 25 cm for some.
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Although 25+ cm of snow in April may seem extreme, for this part of the country, it’s definitely nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, the month as a whole brings about 40-50 cm of snow to Labrador on average.
Some communities, including Nain, even have snowfall chances stretch all the way into June!
“This week will be a little bit different however, as some regions could reach about half of Labrador’s monthly averages alone,” says Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. “The first round on Tuesday will pack quite the punch, with heavy snow and gusty winds stretching from Labrador city to the coast.”
Winds will be gusting between 70-90 km/h at times, and travel conditions will likely deteriorate quickly due to potential whiteouts and reduced visibility.
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