Regions in Canada that face the highest rates of breast cancer, study reveals

Breast cancer risks are highest in rural regions in Quebec, Ontario, and the Prairies as well as in certain urban centres with large immigrant and racialized populations, according to a new Statistics Canada study.

By contrast, rates are lowest in northern and remote regions with younger populations, and large metropolitan areas including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

“Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among females in Canada, with 30,500 females estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024 and 5,500 females dying of breast cancer in that same year,” the study’s authors wrote.

“While breast cancer incidence and mortality have decreased over the last decade, national-level estimates mask underlying variability, including variability by age, socioeconomic characteristics, and geography.”

The study, published by StatCan on Wednesday, found that from 2010 to 2020, approximately 140 cases of invasive breast cancer per 100,000 females were diagnosed each year, on average, across Canada.

“Age-standardized incident rates varied across provinces and territories,” wrote the study’s authors.

“They were significantly higher in Quebec and Alberta, and significantly lower in New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Nunavut, compared with Ontario.”

Mortality rates

The mean age at diagnosis was 62.7 years, the study found, and three-quarters of cases were diagnosed at stages I and II, although stage-specific incident rates varied depending on region.

Over the study period, the age-standardized breast cancer mortality rate was 28.3 females per 100,000 annually, according to StatCan.

When compared to mortality rates in Ontario (27.8 per 100,000), the study found that five other provinces had “statistically significantly higher rates.”

Those provinces were Newfoundland and Labrador (31.5 per 100,000), Nova Scotia (31.6 per 100,000), Quebec (30.1 per 100,000), Manitoba (29.3 per 100,000), and Saskatchewan (30.3 per 100,000), the study found.

“The lowest age-standardized mortality rate across community sizes was for communities with a population of 1,500,000 or more (26.3 per 100,000): communities of other sizes had statistically similar (mortality rates),” the study authors wrote.

“Of note, whereas the age-standardized incident rate was highest in communities with a population from 500,000 to 1,499,999, the age-standardized mortality rate for these communities was comparable to that of smaller communities.”

‘Closer examination’

This data, concluded the authors, highlights the need for more targeted and standardized prevention, screening and treatment strategies across Canada.

Researchers say there is a need for “closer examination of local social, economic, demographic and health system factors.”

“This study highlights important geographic variability in female breast cancer incidence and mortality in Canada,” they wrote.

“While such differences may simply be because of the characteristics of residents of these regions, the current findings indicate that where a person lives may have an important impact on their cancer-related risk.”

‘The bad kind’

Patricia Russell volunteers with The Olive Branch of Hope in Brampton, Ont., which aims to increase awareness about breast cancer and offers support groups. She was diagnosed with the disease twice, 13 years apart.

“It just felt like a kick in the stomach,” says Russell. “When I was first diagnosed, it was at a high time in my life and the doctor told me ‘you have the bad kind.’”

That “bad kind” was triple negative cancer (TNBC), which is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer. It is more challenging to treat and often linked to poorer prognosis. Studies have shown Black women like Russell are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with TNBC compared to white women.

She says she received excellent care and is now doing well. But she says many women face obstacles to detection and care, including financial barriers but also says it is clear geography plays a role.

“Location, location, location,” she says. “We need to get funding where the women are.”

Russell is also working on prevention.

“I am very aware, very conscious, and passionate about education, especially in the Black community. We tend not to take care of ourselves the way we need to,” she says.