Hamilton region home to worst breast cancer survival rates in Ontario

The Hamilton region has the worst five-year survival rate for breast cancer in the province, according to new data released this week.

A new Cancer Quality Council of Ontario report also shows that cancer patients in the area are being forced to wait long periods for diagnostic imaging.

The 2017 Cancer System Quality Index (which looks at the Hamilton LHIN that includes Niagara, Haldimand and Brant) reveals that the region is below the provincial average of five-year survival rates for breast, colon and lung cancer though those figures are showing some signs of improvement.

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In the face of those stark numbers, local doctors say that there are still positives: like making strides with helping cancer patients avoid unplanned trips to emergency departments, and timely follow up of abnormal colon cancer screening tests to identify and treat cancer.

But it's hard to ignore the warning signs. Projections within the report say almost 4,000 people in the Hamilton region will die of cancer in 2017, coupled with over 10,000 new cancer cases diagnosed.

"At a high level, this shows you the scope of what's required to control cancer," said Dr. Ralph Meyer, vice president of oncology and palliative care for Hamilton Health Sciences and regional vice president for Cancer Care Ontario.

"The overall take for us is we see support for the work we're doing areas we need to work on are getting patients into the cancer system."

The region's five-year survival rate for prostate cancer meets the provincial average at 95 per cent. But the markers for breast cancer survival rates (85 per cent compared to 89 per cent provincially) colon cancer (66 per cent compared to 68 per cent provincially) and lung cancer (18 per cent compared to 21 per cent provincially), all miss the mark.

The report also shows that only 80 per cent of cancer patients had surgery in recommended times. The provincial target is 90 per cent.

Ontario's target for breast cancer screening is to have 90 per cent or more of women between the ages of 30 and 69 screened within 90 days after being flagged as having a high risk for breast cancer.

But only 17 per cent of women got an MRI within that timeframe in 2015 (which is the latest available data). That's a significant drop from the previous year.

Meyer says it's a complicated issue, and pointed to social and economic factors in the area, saying that demographics have an affect on cancer rates.

Age plays a factor, too. Forty-one per cent of Hamilton's population is over the age of 50, compared to 38 per cent provincially. Cancer tends to surface later in life, Meyer said.

He also noted that 30 years ago, five-year survival rates would have been about 50 per cent. Now, he says, survival rates are closer to 65 per cent to 70 per cent.

"Advances are being made," Meyer said. "But it is still the leading cause of death in the country."

adam.carter@cbc.ca