Technical Notes

Indicators based on Cancer Incidence (STC) -- data coming soon

Cancer Incidence

The Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR) is a central database located at Statistics Canada that contains patient-oriented information about diagnosis of cancers in Canada. Data on the incidence of cancer are collected by the provincial and territorial cancer registries. The information is used for descriptive and analytic epidemiological studies: to identify risk factors for the cancer; to plan, monitor and evaluate a broad range of cancer control programs (e.g., screening); and for health services and economic research and planning.

• Cancer incidence is based on place of residence at time of diagnosis.
  
  
• Data contained in this table have been tabulated using the September 30, 2000 file and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) rules for determining multiple primaries sites. Included are cancer sites 140 to 208 from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9).
  
  
• The symbol (--) confidential data that has been suppressed to meet the secrecy requirement of the Statistics Act.
  
  
• Cancer incidence data in this product are based on three years of data (1994 to 1996) averaged over the 1995 population estimate. Table titles associated with these data reflect the mid-point of the three-year period being averaged (i.e., 1995).
  
  
• All data presented have an associated 95% confidence interval (CI). The confidence interval illustrates the degree of variability associated with a rate. Wide confidence intervals indicate high variability, thus, these rates should be interpreted and compared with due caution. Some age-standardized rates were suppressed due to both a very small underlying count plus extremely high variability. Confidence intervals can also be used to determine whether a rate in one health region is statistically below, above or no different than the rate for the same indicator in another health region.
  
  
• The confidence intervals for the age-standardized cancer incidence rates were produced via the Spiegelman method. Reference: Spiegelman M. Introduction to Demography, Revised Edition. Cambridge MA, Harvard U Press, 1968. Formula 4.29, p 113
  
  
• Due to the small population of Churchill health region (4690), Manitoba (pop. 1,110 in 1996) and the number of deaths, virtually all vital statistics data for this health region would, in the absence of any adjustment, need to be suppressed. As such, in this product all vital statistics data presented for region 4680 (Burntwood) are an aggregate of Burntwood and Churchill regions. For census-related data, however Burntwood and Churchill are presented separately.
  
  
• Cancer incidence rates are age-standardized using the direct method and the 1991 Canadian Census population structure. The use of a standard population results in more meaningful incidence rate comparisons, because it adjusts for variations in population age distributions over time and across different geographic areas.
  
  
• Over 95% of the cancer incidence data for 1994, 1995 and 1996 have been linked to health regions using postal codes reported with place of residence and converted to enumeration area (EA) using the automated geo-coding system developed in Health Statistics Division.
  
  
• The remaining 5% of cancer incidence data (that which there were no postal codes available) were linked to health regions using the census subdivision (CSD) of residence using the automated geo-coding system developed in Health Statistics Division.
  
  
• Approximately 7% of Ontario cancer incidence records over the 3-year period could not be linked to health region geography. As such, cancer incidence data for Ontario are only published at the provincial level.