Release notice: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2023

Highlights

• For both males and females, lung cancer mortality has decreased by 3.8% per year since 2015. This represents the largest annual decline in mortality rates across all cancer types reported, and the fastest decline in lung cancer mortality reported to date in Canada.
• Probability of developing cancer over a lifetime is 45% and similar for males and females. 
• For males, the largest decreases in cancer incidence were for: colorectal (−4.0% per year since 2014), lung (−2.6% per year since 2012) and leukemia (−2.0% per year since 2011).
• For females, the largest decreases in cancer incidence were for: colorectal (−3.1% per year since 2014), thyroid (−2.6% per year since 2012) and ovarian (−2.6% per year since 2014).
• The largest significant increase in cancer incidence among males was for melanoma (2.2% per year since 1984). 
• Among females, cervical cancer is now the most rapidly increasing cancer (3.7% per year since 2015), marking the first significant increase in cervical cancer incidence since 1984.
• Approximately 1 in 4 Canadians are expected to die from cancer. 
• The probability of dying from cancer is slightly higher for males (24%) than for females (21%).
• For males, the largest decreases in cancer mortality after lung (−4.3% per year since 2014) were for: bladder (−3.4% per year since 2016), kidney and renal pelvis (−3.1% per year since 2014) and melanoma (−2.6% per year since 2013).
• For females, the largest decreases in mortality after lung (−4.1% per year since 2016) were for: Hodgkin lymphoma (−3.2% per year since 1984), colorectal (−3.1% per year since 2014) and melanoma (−3.0% per year since 2014).