Cancer mortality in Yukon 1999-2013: elevated mortality rates and a unique cancer profile

Although cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, cancer in the North has been incompletely described.

To determine cancer mortality rates in the Yukon Territory, compare them with Canadian rates, and identify major causes of cancer mortality.

The Yukon Vital Statistics Registry provided all cancer deaths for Yukon residents between 1999-2013. Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated using direct standardisation and compared with Canadian rates. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using indirect standardisation relative to age-specific rates from Canada, British Columbia (BC), and three sub-provincial BC administrative health regions : Interior Health (IH), Northern Health (NH) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). Trends in smoothed ASMRs were examined with graphical methods.

Yukon's all-cancer ASMRs were elevated compared with national and provincial rates for the entire period. Disparities were greatest compared with the urban VCH: prostate (SMR_VCH=246.3, 95% CI 140.9-351.6), female lung (SMR_VCH=221.2, 95% CI 154.3-288.1), female breast (SMR_VCH=169.0 95% CI, 101.4-236.7), and total colorectal (SMR_VCH=149.3, 95% CI 101.8-196.8) cancers were significantly elevated. Total stomach cancer mortality was significantly elevated compared with all comparators.

Yukon cancer mortality rates were elevated compared with national, provincial, urban, and southern-rural jurisdictions. More research is required to elucidate these differences.