The lung cancer mortality rate in Canada has decreased, according to data released on Wednesday by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Moreover, the lung cancer death rate has declined by 3.8% annually since 2015 when combining men and women, as reported in the 2023 Canadian Cancer Statistics report. The decrease is 4.3% annually since 2014 among men and 4.1% annually since 2016 among women.

This improvement is mainly attributed to reduced commercial tobacco use, which is among the main risk factors for lung cancer. About three out of four lung cancer cases in Canada are caused by smoking.

Still the most common...

Despite everything, lung cancer remains the most common cancer in Canada. It is estimated that 31,000 new diagnoses will be announced this year in the country. Among men, lung cancer mortality rates are generally higher in the provinces of Quebec and the Atlantic.

The report’s authors also wrote that tobacco control efforts are still necessary to further reduce the burden of lung cancer. There are also concerns that the use of e-cigarettes and vaping increases the risk of lung cancer, and therefore deaths.

Therefore, the Canadian Cancer Society praises the efforts made by many provinces to regulate the availability of vaping products, especially concerning youth.

Compared to the peak reached in 1988, cancer death rates have fallen by 39% among men and 26% among women, notably thanks to advances in combating lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and other types of cancer.

However, little progress has been made in reducing pancreatic cancer death rates. Liver and hepatic cancers also have a low survival rate.

Impact...

Colorectal cancer cases have decreased by 4% in men and 3.1% in women since 2014. Lung cancer and leukemia cases have also declined among men, as well as thyroid and ovarian cancer cases among women.

Conversely, skin cancer is a type of cancer that has increased in incidence among men, with a 2.2% jump since 1984. Among women, cervical cancer is now the type with the fastest rising incidence rates (+3.7% annually since 2015); this is the first significant increase in cervical cancer cases since 1984.

The number of cancer cases diagnosed each year is increasing, mainly due to population growth and aging. But if the effects of age and population size are removed, the cancer risk decreases.

After lung cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and melanoma are cancer types that have declined in incidence among men. The same applies to Hodgkin lymphoma, colorectal cancer, and skin cancer among women.