Cancer by stage: Breast and prostate

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Release date: August 16, 2018
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Infographic: Cancer by stage: Breast and prostate
Description: Cancer by stage: Breast and prostate

Female breast cancer

Among women in Canada, 2015

  • 1 in 4 new cancer cases
  • 14% of cancer-related deaths

Early detection, 2011-2015

  • More than 80% of female breast cancer was detected at stages 1 and 2.
  • Over 50% of these cases were diagnosed in women aged 60 to 79.

Stage at diagnosis, 2011-2015

Female breast cancer cases by stage, 2011 to 2015
Stage % of female breast cancer cases
1 47%
2 35%
3 12%
4 5%

Prostate cancer

Among men in Canada, 2015

  • 1 in 5 new cancer cases
  • Less than 10% of cancer-related deaths

Early detection, 2011-2015

  • 74% of prostate cancer cases were diagnosed at stages 1 and 2.
  • Almost 78% of these cases were diagnosed in men aged 60 to 79.

Stage at diagnosis, 2011-2015

Prostate cancer cases by stage, 2011 to 2015
Stage % of prostate cancer cases
1 23%
2 52%
3 14%
4 9%

Stages of cancer

Stage 1: Tumour is small and contained within the organ in which it started.

Stage 2: Tumour is larger and may have begun to spread.

Stage 3: Tumour is large and has spread into nearby tissues and lymph nodes.

Stage 4: Cancer has spread through the blood or lymphatic system to distant sites in the body.

Notes:

  • Cancer incidence and stage data exclude Quebec, as data for Quebec are not available in the Canadian Cancer Registry for 2011 to 2015.
  • Cancer stage data are restricted to people diagnosed at ages 18 to 79.
  • Stage data do not add to 100% as a small proportion of cases could not be assigned a specific stage ('Unknown' stage).
Sources:

Statistics Canada, Canadian Cancer Registry and Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database.

Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2018: A special report on cancer incidence by stage. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2018. Available at: Canadian Cancer Society - Statistics

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2018

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

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