A report from the Canadian Cancer Society says the number of people living in Canada with or beyond cancer has grown to over 1.5 million.  That’s compared to the previous estimate ten years ago of 1 million. The report says it’s because of both increased survival and a growing prevalence of the disease.

In 2012, around 193,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in Canada, rising to 206,000 in 2017, and this year, it’s estimated 233,900 people will be diagnosed.
According to the report, it’s largely due to the growing and aging population.

Senior Manager of Surveillance at the Canadian Cancer Society, Dr. Jennifer Gillis, says, “Increasing prevalence – more people being diagnosed and more surviving – creates long-term strain on our healthcare system and underlines why we must work together to create a system that can evolve as patients’ needs evolve from diagnosis through survival or end of life care.”

She explains that as the number of people living long-term with or beyond cancer increases, the support needed to ensure quality of life in the post-treatment and survivorship periods will increase as well.  The CCS is advocating for all levels of government to consider immediate investments in this country’s healthcare system.