More than 1.5 million Canadians are living with cancer, new stats reveal – National

The number of Canadians surviving with cancer has reached 1.5 million, according to new data revealing that the number of people with cancer in Canada is on the rise.

Data released Tuesday by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) includes cancer prevalence figures looking back over the past 25 years.

A decade ago, an estimated 1 million Canadians were living with the disease, but with Canada’s aging and growing population, and with more people being diagnosed and living Helpful medical and research advances have increased the prevalence of cancer in Canada. to the report.

This is both good news and bad news when it comes to cancer outbreaks in Canada, says Dr. Janet Dancey, a medical oncologist and director of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group.

“The fact is that despite our best and best efforts, the longer we live, the more likely we are to get cancer,” she said.

“There are also many effective treatments. In fact, this particular publication with prevalence information really highlights how many people are alive after being diagnosed with cancer.” And I think that’s actually a very hopeful message.”

This report was produced by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee in collaboration with CCS, Statistics Canada, and Public Health Canada.

Dancy puts a key perspective on long-term cancer incidence trends that show how well countries are doing in terms of preventing, detecting and treating the disease, and how well cancer patients are doing over time. He said it would help to provide

For example, the report found that of the 1.5 million people living in Canada who were diagnosed with cancer in the last 25 years, 60% were diagnosed with cancer between 5 and 25 years ago.

This means many people are living longer after being diagnosed with cancer, says Jennifer Gillis, senior manager of surveillance at the Canadian Cancer Society.

“This is not just about improving survival, but about the long-term damage that cancer does to our healthcare system and the need to advance research to improve prevention, but also about the people diagnosed with cancer. It also underscores the quality of life of

For Harjeet Kaur, the illness started as a persistent fever that wouldn’t go away.

It was spring 2019 and the then 32-year-old had recently immigrated to Canada from India, was otherwise healthy and looking forward to building a life in her new country with her husband.

But after weeks of fever, Kaur realized something was wrong. She began experiencing extreme chills and unexplained swelling in various parts of her body, and one day lost her consciousness in her bathroom.

I made many visits to my family doctor and spent countless hours in hospital emergency rooms. There she was repeatedly told that viruses and infections could have a natural course, but she was eventually admitted to a hospital in Edmonton for her tests.

Two months later, after numerous endoscopies and scans, she finally received a diagnosis. Kaur had a very rare type of blood cancer, and she had already progressed to stage four. And she was told that she needed to start her chemotherapy immediately.

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“Honestly, I never thought it would be called ‘big C’. I thought it was some kind of infection or something, but I never thought it would be stage 4 cancer,” she said. rice field.

Her husband, brother and mother were equally incredulous.

“We still couldn’t get our heads around it. OK, is it really cancer? Because we hadn’t been able to diagnose anything before, and all of a sudden it’s stage 4.”

The diagnosis was just the beginning of the nightmare Kaul had to endure.

Side effects of her treatment left her permanently blind in one eye and also developed an autoimmune disease that was difficult to treat.

Ultimately, she had to undergo a stem cell transplant, which carried the risk of serious complications and had a 15% chance of not surviving.

The COVID-19 lockdown further complicated her treatment, meaning she had to be quarantined in a hospital alone for 32 days while undergoing very painful treatment, Kaur said. I say I couldn’t do it.

“I wasn’t sure if I would come back,” she said.

“The only thing that kept me going was my family and my friends and the strength I put into myself after all this. I need to get out of this. I have to get back to my family.” I have to get up, I have to do this, but it took a lot from me.”

It’s been a long road to recovery, Kaur said, but recent scans showed no evidence of illness. However, she still suffers from the aftermath of her illnesses and treatments, including premature menopause and blindness.

However, she now wants to be a voice for other cancer patients and wants them to know that it’s important to advocate for yourself throughout your cancer journey.

Tuesday’s cancer statistics report showed that Kaur’s survival is more common among 1 in 24 Canadians who currently have cancer. But it also highlights the significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic and Canada’s expanded health care system are having on cancer patients, indicating the need to increase investment in Canada’s health care. he said Gillis.

Without more support, Canada’s health care system will lack the resources to deal with the growing number of Canadians affected by cancer, she said.

“So the Canadian Cancer Society really wants all levels of government to work together to help create a health care system that is resilient and able to meet the evolving needs of people throughout their cancer experience.” is advocating

“There are many different ways that individuals go through cancer. Therefore, these results and the findings in this report help guide those who may need these support services throughout their cancer journey.” It helps you start to understand.”