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3. Indicators based on Cancer Incidence (Statistics Canada)

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Latest health region level rates are based on the boundaries in effect as of June 2005.

3.1 Regional–level Cancer Incidence indicators

The Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR) is a central database located at Statistics Canada that contains patient–oriented information about diagnosis of cancers in Canada. Data on the incidence of cancer are collected by the provincial and territorial cancer registries. The information is used for descriptive and analytic epidemiological studies: to identify risk factors for the cancer; to plan, monitor and evaluate a broad range of cancer control programs (for example, screening); and for health services and economic research and planning.

  • Cancer incidence is based on place of residence at time of diagnosis.

  • Rates contained in this publication have been tabulated using the June 2007 tabulation file, the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology 3rd Edition (ICD–O–3) from the World Health Organization, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) rules for determining multiple primary sites.

  • Cancer incidence data in this product are based on three years of data averaged over the population estimate of the middle year. Table titles associated with these data reflect the mid-point of the three–year period being averaged.

  • All data presented have an associated 95% confidence interval (CI). The confidence interval illustrates the degree of variability associated with a rate. Wide confidence intervals indicate high variability, thus, these rates should be interpreted and compared with due caution. Some age–standardized rates were suppressed due to both a very small underlying count plus extremely high variability. Confidence intervals can also be used to determine whether a rate in one health region is statistically below, above or no different than the rate for the same indicator in another health region.

  • Cancer incidence rates are age–standardized using the direct method and the 1991 Canadian Census population structure. See section 2.2.2 for details.

  • The confidence intervals for the age–standardized cancer incidence rates were produced via the Spiegelman method (refer to section 2.2.1).

  • Cancer incidence data were assigned to health regions using postal codes reported with place of residence and the automated geo–coding system (PCCF+6) developed in Health Statistics Division. Where possible, remaining cancer incidence data (for which there were no postal codes available) were linked to health regions using the census subdivision (CSD) of residence.

For more information go to the Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR).