Canada lags behind the United States in cancer outcomes

In 1994, the death rate from cancer in Canada was almost the same as in the United States -- 184.1 deaths per 100,000 people in Canada versus 184.7 in the United States.

By 2004, cancer mortality rates in the United States have dropped 13.5 percent from 1994 levels while mortality rates for cancer in Canada has dropped only 8.2 percent during the same ten year period.

According to OECD Health Data, the standardized death rate from cancer in Canada in 2004 was 169.0 per 100,000 people compared to 159.8 per 100,000 in the United States.

Decline in rates of cancer deaths, 1994 to 2004

Cancer deaths in the United States have been dropping for the past 5 years. Despite the fact that millions of Americans do not have health insurance, faster uptake of innovative treatments may help account for better cancer outcomes in the United States.