Canadian Cancer Society Predicts Half of All Canadians Will Get Cancer


A new study released by the Canadian Cancer Society predicts that half of all Canadians will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. More startling than this statistic, one in four will actually die from the disease.

The annual cancer statistics report for 2017 revealed the harrowing numbers that an estimated 206,200 Canadians will be diagnosed and 80,800 would die from the disease.

Part of the reason for this increase, said the lead epidemiologist for the charity, Leah Smith, is because of Canada’s aging population. They reported that over 90 percent of all cancers expected to be diagnosed will be in people who are of 50 years of age or older.

But despite the reports that cancer will become the leading cause of death in Canadians in the near future, the actual overall mortality rate of cancer has decreased over the past three decades. Since 1988, when the disease was taking the most lives, the rates among men has fallen by 30 percent while in women it has fallen by 17 percent.

The big four that continue to take the most lives – prostate, lung, colorectal and breast – are predicted to be among more than half of all diagnoses for 2017.

There are generally three main categories that risk factors for causing cancer can fall under; heredity (genetics), lifestyle choices and exposure to cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) in your surrounding environment.

While some of these risk factors cannot be helped, e.g. genes or age, there are some changes that the Canadian Cancer Society advises people make to reduce their risk factor of developing cancer later in life.

These include:

  • don’t smoke and avoid second-hand smoking at all costs
  • maintain a healthy body weight for your size and family history
  • eat well, doctors recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
  • be active, whether it’s through sports or your own workout plan
  • limit your alcohol intake
  • wear sunscreen with the appropriate SPF for your skin and avoid tanning beds/lamps
  • report any abnormal changes in your body to your doctor as soon as they present themselves
  • if you have a family history of specific kinds of cancers, ensure that you are checked early for them
  • get screened regularly as recommended for your age group/history

And here are some tips from the Canadian Cancer Society on how to be aware of other potential cancer risks:

Click here to learn more about cancer in Canadians.


3 responses to “Canadian Cancer Society Predicts Half of All Canadians Will Get Cancer”

  1. Bob says:

    There is a really good new documentary called What The Health that everyone should watch… very eye-opening.

  2. adora says:

    It’s great news that more people are dying from cancer. The number one risk factor for cancer is age. The longer you live, the more mutation and junk cell will accumulate. It really means that we are living longer and excellent at preventing infectious diseases.

    We will all die. Cancer is perhaps the best way to go. You can say goodbye to love ones, get your affairs in order. (Childhood cancer is unacceptable, of course.) I just hope there will be better medicine for pain relief, more acceptance of assisted dying, and more compassion for patient.

    I really hate the culture in which we hint that we can do things to avoid cancer, like blaming patients for being sick, like they deserved to be sick because they didn’t eat organic or do yoga. You could reduce the risk in a population by doing all of those things, but you can never know the cards you are dealt. (“Number Need to Treat” has little to do with your individual chances.)


















  •  




  • RSS Hot Canada Deals

  • Recent Comments

  • Did You Know?

    Smart Canucks is Canada's first Canadian shopping deals blog and has been operating since 2005!



  • Join Mailing List

    Categories

    Pages

    Archives

    Find Deals by Brand!