(TLN) Elected officials from the City of Laval turned on an electric switch last week to illuminate city hall with pink light as a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. At the same time, they raised the Cancer Awareness Month flag on a flagpole outside city hall. Céline St-Denis, a breast cancer survivor from Laval, shared her story with the guests. Seen in the photo (from the left) are Céline St-Denis, Councillor Sandra El-Helou and Nathalie Tremblay of the Fondation du cancer du sein du Québec.
Breast cancer statistics
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). It is the second leading cause of death from cancer in Canadian women. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but it is not common.
Incidence and mortality
Incidence is the number of new cases of cancer. Mortality is the number of deaths due to cancer. The following incidence and mortality statistics are estimated using the most up-to-date data available at the time of the analyses.
It is estimated that in 2019:
- 26,900 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. This represents 25% of all new cancer cases in women in 2019.
- 5,000 women will die from breast cancer. This represents 13% of all cancer deaths in women in 2019.
- On average, 74 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every day.
- On average, 14 Canadian women will die from breast cancer every day.
- 230 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 55 will die from breast cancer.
