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Lung cancer survival rate has doubled, but it still causes the most cancer deaths: StatCan
In this Sept. 5, 2013 file photo, an infusion drug to treat cancer is administered to a patient via intravenous drip at Duke Cancer Center in Durham, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)
TORONTO — Statistics Canada says five-year survival rates for people with lung cancer have doubled since the 1990s.
The report released today says the number of people living five years after they were diagnosed jumped from 13 per cent to 27 per cent between 1992 and 2021.
It says new treatments, including immunotherapy that prompts the patient's immune system to attack cancerous cells, have contributed to better lung cancer survival rates.
But lung cancer is still responsible for almost a quarter of all cancer deaths in Canada — more than any other type.
StatCan says the cancers with a five-year survival rate of 90 per cent or higher include thyroid, testicular, prostate and breast cancers, as well as melanoma skin cancer.
It says cancers with the lowest survival rates of under 10 per cent include mesothelioma — cancer in the membrane that surrounds most internal organs — as well as cancer in the bile ducts of the liver.
The report says those cancers, along with pancreatic cancer, are often diagnosed at advanced stages when the cancer has already spread.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press
