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Excerpts from: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2001

By National Cancer Institute of Canada Canadian Cancer Statistics 2001  [04/1801]

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for both genders. Almost one-third of the cancer deaths in men and almost one-quarter in women are due to lung cancer alone.

From the 1970s to the present, among women, there has been a steady and significant decline in mortality rates for all cancers combined exclusive of lung cancer.

Cancer is the leading cause of premature death in Canada, being responsible for almost one-third of all potential years of life lost.

Because of its relative frequency among younger Canadians and poor survival rates, lung cancer is by far the leading cause of premature death due to cancer.

Smoking is responsible for about one-third of potential years of life lost (PYLL) due to cancer, about one-quarter of PYLL due to diseases of the heart and about one-half of PYLL due to respiratory disease.