The Northwest Territories Cancer Report, 2000-2010
The Northwest Territories (NWT) is a Canadian territory spanning over 1,000,000 km2, north of the 60th parallel. With a population of 43,000 it has one of the lowest population densities in North America. Forty-nine percent of the population is Aboriginal which can be further divided into First Nations, Inuit, and Métis persons. Cancer rates are increasing, and many believe the increase is associated with mining and oil and gas developments. The objective of this analysis was to examine cancer incidence in the NWT, as well as examining what contributing factors may influence these rates.
METHODS:
Age-standardized cancer rates by sex, community size and ethnicity from 2001-2010 were calculated for the NWT. For comparisons between the NWT and Canada, the 2005 estimate for cancer types was used, while for geographical estimates StatsCan CANSIM tables were used.
RESULTS:
1107 new cancer diagnoses were reported from 2001-2010, with colorectal, breast, lung and prostate being the most common. In both males and females, colorectal cancer incidence was significantly higher in the NWT than in Canada. Lung cancer incidence was higher in NWT women than Canadian women. Also, First Nations persons had a higher rate of colorectal cancer than non-aboriginal persons in the NWT. Finally, non-aboriginal NWT persons had a higher rate of prostate cancer than First Nations persons.
CONCLUSIONS:
The cancers identified as higher in the population in the NWT, and particularly in the Aboriginal population, are likely associated with lifestyle factors. Rates of smoking, obesity, and inactive lifestyles are higher in the NWT than elsewhere in Canada, potentially accounting for the high rates in colorectal and lung cancers. Few cases of rare or cancer types typically associated with environmental exposures would indicate that lifestyle choices are a more likely source of increasing cancer rates in the NWT than industrial development.