Download Ontario`s top cancers different from those

June 2013
Ontario’s top cancers different from those worldwide
Ontario’s most common
cancers are different from
those worldwide because
cancer types vary in the
developing and developed
worlds. Similar to other
economically developed
areas, Ontario’s top
cancers are prostate,
female breast, colorectal
and lung; worldwide data,
on the other hand, show
the most common types
(excluding non-melanoma
skin cancers) as lung (an
estimated 1,608,055 new
cases), female breast
(1,384,155), colorectal
(1,235,108), stomach
(988,602), prostate
(899,102), liver (749,744)
and cervical (530,232).1
Economic development is
usually accompanied by
changes in physical
activity, body weight, diet,
and hormonal and
reproductive factors,
which probably explain
some of the differences
between the worldwide
cancer pattern and
Ontario’s most common
cancers.2
● Worldwide, lung, female breast, colorectal, stomach,
prostate, liver and cervical cancers are the most
commonly diagnosed, while Ontario’s most common
cancers are prostate, female breast, colorectal and lung.
Developing countries are
● People in developing countries are vulnerable to cancers
more vulnerable to
associated with infections, such as hepatitis B and C,
cancers (and other
and human papillomavirus.
diseases) associated
with infections, including
cancers of the stomach and liver. Cervical cancer, which is caused by human papillomavirus
(HPV), is also more prevalent in parts of the world where screening for precancerous
cervical lesions isn’t widely available.
The rates of these infection-related cancers are much higher than those in Ontario, where
stomach cancer is less common and cervical cancer is the 12 th most common cancer among
Ontario women. Although liver cancer is uncommon in Ontario, with approximately 200
cases diagnosed a year, rates are increasing quickly, especially in men. This rise is thought
to be tied to alcohol abuse, obesity, diabetes and smoking, as well as the increasing
number of people with hepatitis B and C infections, such as immigrants from countries
where these infections are widespread.3
References
1. Ferlay J, Shin HR, Bray F, Forman D, Mathers C and Parkin DM.GLOBOCAN 2008 v2.0,
Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 10 [Internet].
Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2010. Available from:
http://globocan.iarc.fr, accessed on May 6, 2013.
2. Parkin DM, Pisani P, Munoz N, Ferlay J. The global health burden of infection: In Weiss
RA, Beral V, Newton R (eds). Infections and Human Cancer (Vol. 33, Cancer Surveys).
Cold Spring Harbor: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 1998.
3. Canadian Cancer Society’s Advisory Committee on Cancer Statistics. Canadian Cancer
Statistics 2013. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2013. Available from:
www.cancer.ca/statistics.
Citation: Material appearing in this Cancer Fact may be reproduced or copied without
permission. The following citation must be used:
Cancer Care Ontario. Cancer Fact: Ontario’s top cancers different from those worldwide. June
2013. Available at http://www.cancercare.on.ca/cancerfacts/.
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This Ontario Cancer Fact was prepared by staff in Prevention and Cancer Control.
www.cancercare.on.ca
Email: [email protected]