Rate of liver and thyroid cancers growing fastest
Some facts and figures from StatsCan out concerning the latest trends in cancer, and there is some interesting information.
Almost every type of cancer has shown a statistical increase over the last five years, with liver and thyroid cancer showing the largest increase.
Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada; breast cancer is second.
There are some cancers that are shrinking in number. Cervical cancer, and cancer of the larynx are both down. Better detection, treatment, and less smoking are given credit for those improvements.
Fewer cigarettes are helping men cut their lung cancer rates; but as more young females take up tobacco, lung cancer rates are going up, for women.
Much of the increase in cancer rates can be attributed to the rapidly aging population of the country: about half of new cancers are due to advancing age. But aging is not one of the primary factors, for one of the fastest growing types of cancer.
Liver cancer is showing a sharp increase, partly because of hepatitis infections – some dating back 25 years or more. but one of the main factors pushing liver cancer to the forefront is an entirely preventable by-product, of our modern lifestyle – obesity.
Dr Michael Marcaccio of the Juravinski Cancer Centre says that in this area, an ounce of prevention is literally worth a pound of cure:
“You cannot sing the prevention song too loudly because that’s our best option.”
“Obesity predisposes us to what’s called fatty liver disease and that’s going to be in the next ten years, or so, the most common cause of cirrhosis of the liver, and again that epidemic is fueling the epidemic of cancers that start in the liver.”
Dr Marcaccio says when it comes to cancer prevention, we’ve made progress on cutting smoking; but curbing alcohol will be harder, and curbing the urge to eat – and encouraging more exercise – will be the hardest of all.
Video: Evening News coverage:
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