Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover officially released a comprehensive report today on PEI cancer trends.
The report includes information on new cancer cases and cancer deaths in PEI from 1983 to 1997. It documents trends in incidence and mortality by age and gender for fifteen common cancers including prostate, lung and breast cancer. The report also compares PEI trends over time, and with national trends.
Minister Dover said the report will be of great interest to people who work with cancer patients and others who have been touched by cancer.
"The report contains a great deal of information that can be very helpful in planning cancer treatment and prevention programs. For example, it indicates that while national cervical cancer rates are decreasing, the incidence of cervical cancer in Prince Edward Island is remaining stable. Because cervical cancer is highly preventable, this is an area we will be looking at very closely," she said.
For each of the fifteen common cancers described, the report contains information on general trends, age and gender influence, risk factors and recommended prevention and early detection programs for that cancer.
The report was co-authored by Dr. Linda Van Til, epidemiologist with the PEI Department of Health and Social Services, and Dr. Dagny Dryer, director of the PEI Cancer Registry.
The authors state that cancer is primarily a disease of older persons. Two out of every five men and one out of every three women will develop cancer during life.
About half of all fatal cancers are caused by tobacco smoking and diets high in fat and low in fibre, fruits and vegetables. Smoking-related cancers dominate cancer mortality. If smoking-related cancers were eliminated, cancer deaths would remain stable for men, and decrease for women.
PEI cancer rates fluctuate around the Canadian trend lines. The trends over the period 1983 to 1995 have been generally increasing, and compare to national trends as follows:
Increasing trends:
The most dramatic increases are for prostate cancer in men, and breast, colorectal, and lung cancer in women. These sites have increases in incidence, whereas mortality rates are relatively stable. The exception is the increase in both incidence and mortality for lung cancer in women.
Cancer rates have been increasing in PEI and Canada for skin melanoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and cancer of the kidney.
Stable trends:
Cancer rates have been stable in PEI and Canada for brain tumours and childhood cancers.
In PEI, pancreatic cancer rates have been stable, while Canadian rates have been declining for men.
Cervical cancer rates have also been stable in PEI, in spite of the availability of Pap screening, and declining Canadian rates.
Decreasing trends:
Cancer rates have been declining slightly in PEI and Canada for bladder, stomach, ovarian, and uterine cancers.
In men, colorectal and lung cancer have been decreasing.
The incidence of leukemia is decreasing in PEI, whereas the Canadian rates have been stable.
Copies of the report can be requested by calling Island Information Services at 368 4000.