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- Five-year relative survival for all cancers combined (ages 15 to 99) in Canada excluding Quebec has increased from 56% in 1992-1994 to 61% in 2001-2003.
- Relative survival can vary greatly by type of cancer. This variation can be seen in the four cancers that account for over 50% of the new cases diagnosed each year. In 2001-2003, five-year relative survival for lung cancer (both sexes) was low at 15%, while the prognosis for colorectal cancer (both sexes) was fair (colon 62%, rectum 63%) and breast cancer (female) and prostate cancer relative survival was high at 87% and 96% respectively.
- These variations in survival are also seen in less common cancers and variation can occur within a cancer type by age and sex.
- For example, the five-year relative survival for people diagnosed with liver cancer, which accounts for approximately 1% of new cancer cases in any given year, improved from 10% in 1992-1994 to 18% in 2001-2003.
- The prognosis for liver cancer worsened, however, with increasing age at diagnosis; in 2001-2003, those diagnosed from 15 to 44 years fared much better than those 75 to 99 at diagnosis (38% versus 7%).
- In terms of differences by sex, survival for liver cancer was slightly higher in males (18%) than in females (16%) in 2001-2003.
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