Cancer prevalence in the Canadian population

The rising numbers of cancer diagnoses, together with improvements in survival, have led to increases in the prevalence of cancer in Canada. This article provides more precise and detailed estimates of cancer prevalence than have been available previously.

Based on incidence data from the Canadian Cancer Registry linked with mortality data from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, direct estimates of cancer prevalence as of January 1, 2005 were calculated for an extensive list of cancers, by time since diagnosis, age and sex.

Two-, five- and ten-year cancer prevalence counts were 217,089 (675 per 100,000), 454,149 (1,412 per 100,000) and 722,833 (2,248 per 100,000), respectively. Breast (20.6% of ten-year prevalent cases), prostate (18.7%) and colorectal cancer (12.9%) were the most prevalent, together accounting for just over half of all cases. Prevalence proportions for all cancers combined increased dramatically with age, peaking at ages 80 to 84; proportions were higher in females than in males before age 60, and higher in males thereafter.

Prevalence data tabulated according to type of cancer, age and time since diagnoses provide important information about the demand for cancer-related health care and social services.