title: Canadian trends in cancer prevalence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer prevalence trends are rarely reported in the published literature, and until now, have not been reported for Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on incidence data from the Canadian Cancer Registry linked with mortality data from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, trends in prevalence proportions overtime were calculated by time since diagnosis for a large number of the most common cancers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant increases in prevalence proportions were observed for most individual cancers, and most prevalence durations studied. Aging of the population contributed to these increases. Relatively large increases were observed for liver and thyroid cancer, while decreases occurred for cancers of the larynx and cervix uteri.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Information on how and why trends vary by cancer can inform resource allocation planning.
authors.affiliation: Health Statistics Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0T6. larry.ellison@statcan.gc.ca
authors.forename: Larry F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilkins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution