Cancer incidence in Canada, 2022
Released: 2025-01-31
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada among both males and females, responsible for just over one in four deaths. In 2022, there were more than 160,000 cases diagnosed in provinces and territories where data are available, which represented an age-adjusted incidence rate of 563 cases per 100,000 people. Lung and bronchus, breast, prostate and colorectal are the four most commonly diagnosed cancers, accounting for around half of new diagnoses annually.
While the overall incidence rate has been trending downward in recent years—a decline of 0.6% annually from 2011 to 2022 for the reporting jurisdictions—there are important differences by cancer site, sex, and age group, according to the 2022 incidence data released today from the Canadian Cancer Registry.
Recent decreases in lung and bronchus cancer
Cancers of the lung and bronchus among males of all ages have been decreasing since 1992, ranging from 1.0% to 3.1% per year. In females, an increase of 1.2% per year was observed from 1992 to 2011, followed by a 0.4% annual increase from 2012 to 2017. Since 2017, the incidence rate of lung and bronchus cancers among females has decreased annually by 3.1%.
Rate of breast cancer increasing among females
Breast cancer accounted for 28.3% of all cancer cases among females in 2022. Age-adjusted incidence decreased at 0.4% per year from 1992 to 2007, but has seen a steady 0.4% annual increase since then. Similar trends were observed for all age groups, with recent increases ranging from 0.04% to 1.3% per year.
Rate of prostate cancer among males aged 40 to 49 is decreasing
Prostate cancer accounted for 25.5% of all cancer cases among males in 2022. The age-adjusted incidence of prostate cancer decreased from 1992 to the mid-2010s (-0.2% annually from 1992 to 2009, and -7.0% annually from 2009 to 2014), but has increased by 0.8% per year from 2014 to 2022.
Starting from the mid-2010s, incidence of prostate cancer has increased among males aged 60 years and older. The annual increases were 0.2% for males aged 60 to 69, 2.2% for males aged 70 to 79 and 0.5% for males aged 80 and older. In contrast, prostate cancer incidence among younger males has been decreasing. For males aged 40 to 49, there was a sharp downward trend of 7.2% per year from 2010 to 2022.
Colorectal cancer rate is increasing among males and females aged 40 to 49
Colorectal cancer accounted for 10.1% of all cancer cases diagnosed in 2022. Overall age-adjusted incidence has been consistently decreasing in both males and females during the past 30 years. From 1992 to 2011, there was a steady annual decrease of 0.2% per year. Starting from 2011, colorectal cancer rates have declined at 2.5% each year.
However, trends differ by age. While incidence of colorectal cancer among males and females aged 50 years and older has been decreasing, incidence among those aged 40 to 49 has trended upward at 1.8% each year from 2002 to 2022.
Chart 1
Age-standardized incidence rates of all cancers, both sexes, Canada excluding Quebec and Nova Scotia, 1992 to 2022
Chart 2
Age-standardized incidence rates of selected cancers, by sex, Canada excluding Quebec and Nova Scotia, 1992 to 2022
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Note to readers
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 direct method and the 2021 Canadian standard population, to take into consideration any differences in the age structure between different populations or of the same population over time.
A cancer incidence trend analysis is conducted using the National Cancer Institute's Joinpoint Regression Program, version 5.2.0.0. The annual percent change (APC) is calculated by fitting a piecewise linear model that assumes a constant rate of change in the logarithm of the annual incidence rates in each segment. The estimated slope from this model was then transformed back to represent an APC in the rates. The minimum duration on which to report a trend is set at five years, and a maximum of five trends were retained over the entire period of interest. For this Daily, incidence trends are estimated for Canada excluding Quebec and Nova Scotia, on 1) annual age-standardized incidence rates for all cancers in both males and females, prostate cancer, female breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer and colorectal cancer for both sexes combined from 1992 to 2022; 2) annual age-specific incidence rates for prostate cancer, female breast cancer, and colorectal cancer for both sexes combined in specific age groups from 1992 to 2022.
Cancer incidence data for Quebec have not yet been submitted to the CCR for diagnosis years 2018 onward, and for Nova Scotia cancer incidence data have not yet been submitted to the CCR for diagnosis years 2020 onward. For tables 13-10-0111-01 and 13-10-0747-01, cancer incidence estimates were produced for Canada from 1992 to 2017, for Canada excluding Quebec from 1992 to 2019, and for Canada excluding Quebec and Nova Scotia from 1992 to 2022.
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 for more recently reported years. Generally, the reporting delay for the most recently reported diagnosis year ranges between 2% and 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 2022 (approximately 30 cases were reported for 2021), by Nova Scotia for 2019 (approximately 75 cases were reported for 2018), by Newfoundland and Labrador for 2022 (approximately 35 cases were reported for 2021), and by Ontario for 2022 (approximately 1,335 cases were reported for 2021).
In 2020 and 2021, the registration of new cancer cases in Canada may have been impacted by disruptions in screening and diagnostic services. The number of new cancer cases diagnosed in 2020 is lower when compared with adjacent years and may bias certain analyses, such as cancer incidence trends. 2020 incidence data are excluded from the estimation of trends using the Joinpoint Regression Program.
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.
Screening practices for cancer vary by provinces and territories and over time, which could affect the number of cancer cases in a given year.
Contact information
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