Cancer incidence in Canada, 2023

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.

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.

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.

Cancer incidence data for Nova Scotia have not yet been submitted to the CCR for diagnosis years 2020 to 2023. For tables 13-10-0111-01 and 13-10-0747-01, cancer incidence estimates were produced for Canada from 1992 to 2019, for Canada excluding Quebec from 1992 to 2019, for Canada excluding Nova Scotia from 1992 to 2023, and for Canada excluding Quebec and Nova Scotia from 1992 to 2023.

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 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.