2024-05-13 17:25:19
“The good news is that more people are surviving cancer and beyond,” said lead author Darren Brenner, associate professor in the University of Calgary’s departments of oncology and community health sciences.
The study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, estimates the number and frequency of new cancer cases and deaths expected through 2024.
The incidence of lung cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer is expected to decrease this year, but less common cancers – including melanoma, liver and kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma – are increasing following the screenings.
The incidence of breast cancer is relatively stable and the mortality rate is decreasing, Brenner said.
“This is largely due to the success of approaches to mammography screening within organized screening programs, as well as improvements in treatment options over the years,” he explained.
According to study co-author Jennifer Gillis, an epidemiologist and senior surveillance officer at the Canadian Cancer Society, “huge progress” has been made in reducing the number of colon cancer cases and deaths from the disease.
“The incidence of colon cancer, following taking into account differences in age and population size, has declined significantly in recent years,” she said.
“This is largely due to the organized screening programs we have across Canada, which detect pre-cancers that can be removed before cancer develops,” she added.
Such a screening program was launched in Quebec earlier this year.
Although cancer rates and deaths overall are decreasing, the study estimates that there will be 247,100 new cancer cases and 88,100 cancer deaths in 2024. This is an increase from previous years, which is largely explained by the increase and aging of the population, according to to Mrs. Gillis.
Lung cancer is expected to remain both the most diagnosed cancer and the most common cause of cancer death in 2024, even as rates decline thanks to tobacco control, earlier detection and improved treatments, Gillis said.
Among cancers on the rise, melanoma is of particular concern, according to researchers.
“Melanoma is a preventable cancer and has been on the rise for many years,” Gillis said.
“This reminds us that we really need to put policies and awareness campaigns in place to emphasize the importance of sun protection,” she added.
In Quebec, the study predicts 63,000 new cancer diagnoses in 2024 and just under 23,000 deaths. Both figures are essentially equally divided between men and women. Lung and bronchial cancer will be the most common, followed by breast cancer and colon cancer. Prostate cancer will be the most common among men, according to the study, and breast cancer will come first among women.
The study also highlights the need for further research into other cancers that cause more deaths and for which there are no routine screening methods, including liver and kidney cancer, the researchers said.
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