Prostate Cancer - Cancer
Data definitions, limitations & uses • Data Sources

Prostate cancer has now surpassed lung cancer as the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Canadian men. After lung cancer, it is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men. Currently, the lifetime risk of a Canadian man being diagnosed with prostate cancer is about 1 in 8, compared to about 1 in 20 in the early 1970's.

In Leeds Grenville Lanark (LGL), the incidence (new cases) of prostate cancer has more than doubled since 1980, increasing from 62 cases per 100,000 men to 162 cases per 100,000 men in 1995 (see figure 1). In 1995, prostate cancer accounted for 28% of all new cancer cases among men in LGL.  The rapid increase in new cases of prostate cancer seems to have occurred to a greater extent in LGL than in all of Ontario.  The age-standardized incidence of prostate cancer observed in LGL between 1993-1995 was higher than in Ontario (see figure 2).

In Canada, between 1970 and 1990 the number of new cases of prostate cancer increased steadily, by approximately 3% annually. During this period, deaths from the disease also increased, but at a slower rate of about 1% annually. In LGL, the crude mortality rate due to prostate cancer has almost doubled since 1981 (see figure 3).   This increase in mortality has occurred to a greater extent in LGL than in Ontario. The age-standardized mortality due to prostate cancer observed between 1994-1996, was higher in LGL when compared to Ontario (see figure 4). Therefore, dying from prostate cancer appears to occur more often in men in LGL than in Ontario.

Data definitions, limitations & uses
Leading Causes of Death
Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR)
Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR)
Age-Standardized Mortality Rate
Total (Crude) Death Rate 

Data Sources
Ontario Cancer Incidence Database
Population Estimates Database
Ontario Mortality Database