Infographic: Lung Cancer in Canada, 2000 to 2016
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Released: 2019-06-03
There were 17,755 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in Canada in 2016, excluding Quebec (see note to readers). Lung cancer was the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada after breast cancer, representing 12% of all new cancer cases in 2016. It was also the leading cause of cancer mortality in Canada.
Until recently, lung cancer was more commonly diagnosed among males than females but this gender gap has progressively narrowed. According to the most recent estimates from the Canadian Cancer Registry, the total number of new lung cancer cases was evenly distributed between both sexes.
The gender gap has also narrowed with respect to mortality. While 40% of deaths attributed to lung cancer occurred among females in 2000, this proportion increased to 48% in 2016.
However, when considering the stage at diagnosis, which provides an indication of how much the cancer has spread, females were more likely than males to be diagnosed at stage 1 when the cancer had not spread. They were also 40% more likely than males to survive over a period of five years after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Overall, about half of all lung cancer cases were diagnosed at stage 4, after the cancer had spread through the blood or lymphatic system to distant sites in the body.
Note to readers
All estimates include both bronchus and lung cancer.
Data on incidence and stage at diagnosis are from the Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR). Data on mortality are from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSD). Data on survival are from the CCR linked to the CVSD and death information from the T1 Personal Master File.
Cancer incidence, stage and survival data exclude Quebec, as data for Quebec are not available in the CCR for the period ranging from 2011 to 2016.
Cancer stage data are restricted to people diagnosed at ages 18 to 79 and are for the period ranging from 2011 to 2015.
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The infographic "Lung Cancer in Canada, 2000-2016" is now available as part of Statistics Canada — Infographics (11-627-M).
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