General cancer statistics for 2009

An estimated 171,000 new cases of cancer (excluding about 75,100 non-melanoma skin cancers) and 75,300 deaths will occur in Canada in 2009.

Approximately 81,700 Canadian women will be diagnosed with cancer and an estimated 35,700 women will die of cancer.
Approximately 89,300 Canadian men will be diagnosed with cancer and an estimated 39,600 men will die of cancer.
On average, 3,300 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer every week.
On average, 1,450 Canadians will die of cancer every week.

The risk of cancer increases with age: 43% of new cancer cases and 60% of cancer deaths will occur among those who are at least 70 years old. However, cancer can occur at all ages.

Probability of developing or dying from cancer

Based on current incidence rates, 40% of Canadian women and 45% of men will develop cancer during their lifetimes.

An estimated 1 out of every 4 Canadians are expected to die from cancer.

Cancer is the leading cause of premature death in Canada: 1,026,600 years of life were lost in 2004 as a result of cancer. This represents 32% of the potential years of life lost resulting from all causes of death.

Prevalence

At the beginning of the year 2005, there were approximately 723,000 cases of cancer that had been diagnosed in the previous 10 years.

Survival

Based on current estimates, 62% of people are expected to survive for 5 years after their cancer diagnosis compared to the general population. Survival rates differ according to the type of cancer.

Last modified on: 10 December 2009