Cancer survival statistics, 2020 update

Released: 2020-11-27

Nearly one in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. The outlook for people who develop cancer can vary considerably depending on the type of cancer for which they are diagnosed. While the average probability of surviving some cancers for five or more years can exceed 95%, for other cancers it is 10% or less.

The net survival estimates presented here provide a measure of disease severity and prognosis. Specifically, five-year net survival refers to the percentage of people diagnosed with a cancer who survive five years past their date of diagnosis assuming that the cancer of interest is the only possible cause of death (see Note to readers for more information). Estimates are based on the most recent data from the Canadian Cancer Registry, covering cancer cases diagnosed from 1992 to 2017, linked to multiple sources of death information including the Canadian Vital Statistics — Death Database.

While the results provided herein pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic, they provide a baseline with which to eventually gauge the impact of the pandemic on cancer survival statistics. Delays in the diagnosis and treatment of some cancers as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic may result in a progression of disease to a point where the prognosis or survival outcome is less favourable for patients.

Survival highest for thyroid and testicular cancer

Five-year net survival for 2017 was highest for thyroid cancer and for testicular cancer, each at 97%. As the numbers would suggest, both of these cancers usually respond very well to treatment. Approximately three out of every four cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed among females, for whom five-year survival is slightly higher (98%) than it is among males (95%).

Testicular cancer is distinguished by its atypically young age at diagnosis. Almost two of every three cases are diagnosed in males under the age of 50, whereas for cancer in general it is less than one in ten. Five-year net survival for this cancer is consistently above 90% across different age groups.

Five-year net survival was also relatively high for cancers of the prostate (91%), breast (89%) and for melanomas of the skin (89%). The relatively favourable prognoses for these cancers is encouraging, especially considering that they are among the most commonly diagnosed cancers. While five-year survival for breast cancer is worse among males (76%) than females (89%), they constitute a small fraction of the cases. Five-year survival is also higher among females (92%) than males (86%) for melanomas of the skin.

Screening for cancer in asymptomatic individuals in the population can lead to the early detection and treatment of cancer which may lead to improvements in survival in some situations. The relatively high five-year survival for breast cancer may be attributed, in part, to the widespread use of mammography screening. Mammography is an X-ray of the breast used to help detect both cancerous and non-cancerous tumours. In 2017, 91.4% of women aged 50 to 74 reported having a mammogram in their lifetime, and 78.5% within the previous three years.

Survival lowest for mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer

At 9%, the five-year net survival was lowest for mesothelioma, a type of cancer that develops in the thin layer of tissue that covers a majority of the body's internal organs. Diagnoses of this cancer can be delayed because symptoms are often similar to those of less serious illnesses. The main risk factor for mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos.

Approximately four out of every five cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed among males, for whom five-year survival is poorer (6%) than it is among females (20%). One factor in this difference is likely the greater historical frequency of primary exposure or direct contact with asbestos among males, through construction and mining occupations. Among females, secondary exposure—which occurs when asbestos fibers are brought home on the workers' body and clothing—has historically been more common. In addition, females are more likely than males to develop a subtype of mesothelioma which has a more favorable prognosis than other forms of mesothelioma.

The five-year net survival among those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer was similarly low at 10%. Pancreatic cancer often does not cause symptoms until it has spread to other organs in the body. As a result, it is seldom detected at its early stages when it is most treatable. For this cancer, there is no overall appreciable difference in five-year survival between the sexes.

After mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer, the cancers associated with the next lowest five-year net survival were esophageal (16%) and brain (20%) cancer.

Improved survival greatest for blood cancers

The individual cancers associated with the greatest improvements in survival over the last 23 years are all blood cancers. From 1994 to 2017, the five-year age-standardized (see Note to readers) net survival for chronic myeloid leukemia increased 25 percentage points to 60%. This form of leukemia is a type of cancer of the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. Two other types of blood cancers were associated with the next highest increases in survival over time. Five-year age-standardized net survival for myeloma has increased 23 percentage points to 50% since the early 1990s, while for non-Hodgkin lymphoma it increased 21 percentage points to 69%.

Improvements in survival for blood cancers have been mainly attributed to improvements in treatment such as targeted cancer therapies. These are drugs or other substances that block the growth and spread of cancer by interfering with specific key molecules.

The largest improvement in five-year age-standardized net survival among solid tumour cancers was observed for cancer of the small intestine, for which it increased 20 percentage points to 58%.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).