An epidemiologist with the Huron County Health Unit says the number of cancer cases throughout the county is on par with numbers across the rest of the province.
A recent report published by Cancer Care Ontario suggests that cancer mortality rates among breast, colorectal and lung cancers are on the decline.
But the same report also suggests that cancer cases have tripled since the early 1980's.
Doctor Erica Clark is an Epidemiologist with the Huron County Health Unit and she says the increase in the number of cases of cancer is largely due to our aging population.
"When I look at cancer rates for Huron County, what I find is that we are quite similar to the province. There aren't any particular types of cancer that stand out as being higher for Huron County than the rest of the province," says Dr. Clark. "Cancer is a disease that is associated with increased age, so as your population ages, it is expected that the rate of cancer within the population will go up as well."
Doctor Clark notes that more people are living with cancer nowadays rather than dying from it; most likely due to better health care options and technological advancements in medicine.
The report released by Cancer Care Ontario also suggests that cancer mortality rates among breast, colorectal and lung cancers are on the decline.
