Cancer incidence in Canada, 2021

The Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR) is a population-based registry that includes data collected and reported to Statistics Canada by each Provincial/Territorial Cancer Registry. The goal of the person-based CCR is to collect information about each new primary cancer diagnosed among Canadian residents since 1992.

Cancer incidence refers to the number of new cases of cancer in a population over a given period, usually one year. The cancer incidence rate is typically expressed as the number of new cancer cases per 100,000 people. The rates presented in table 13-10-0747-01 were age-standardized using the 2011 Canadian standard population.

Cancer incidence data for Quebec have not yet been submitted to the CCR for diagnosis years 2018 onward. For tables 13-10-0111-01 and 13-10-0747-01, cancer incidence estimates for Canada excluding Quebec were produced for all diagnosis years up to 2019. Cancer incidence data for Nova Scotia have also not yet been submitted to the CCR for diagnosis years 2020 and 2021, and the estimates for Canada excluding Quebec are unavailable for those two diagnosis years.

As the CCR is updated annually with new records and changes to existing records, the incidence data for any given diagnosis year may change from one release to the next. In particular, delays in the reporting of new cases to Statistics Canada typically result in undercounts of cases which are more pronounced in the most recently reported diagnosis year. Generally, the reporting delay ranges from 2% to 3% nationally. In addition, cases for which the sole source of identification was through a death certificate (referred to as death certificate only cases) have not yet been reported by Manitoba for years 2013 to 2017 and for 2021 (approximately 40 cases were reported for 2020), by Nova Scotia for 2019 (approximately 75 cases were reported for 2018), and by Ontario for 2021 (approximately 1,260 cases were reported for 2020).

In 2020 and 2021, the registration of new cancer cases in Canada may have been impacted by disruptions in screening and diagnostic services. Therefore, these data should be interpreted with caution.

The types of cancer in tables 13-10-0111-01 and 13-10-0747-01 include all invasive cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and in situ urinary bladder cancer.