Cancer mortality in Yukon 1999-2013: elevated mortality rates and a unique cancer profile

• Published in: International journal of circumpolar health Vol. 76; no. 1; pp. 1324231 - 9
• Main Authors: Simkin, Jonathan, Woods, Ryan, Elliott, Catherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01.01.2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Age; Age Distribution; Arctic Regions - epidemiology; Breast cancer; Canada - epidemiology; Cancer; circumpolar health; Colorectal cancer; Disease prevention; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Internet; Inuit; Male; Mortality; Native North Americans; Neoplasms - mortality; Population; population health; prevention & control; Prostate; Public health; Radiation therapy; Rural areas; rural health; Rural Population; Sex Distribution; Socioeconomic Factors; Transferred; Trends; Vital statistics; Yukon Territory; Yukon Territory - epidemiology; British Columbia Canada; Canada; Yukon Territory Canada; epidemiology; Yukon Territory; population health; circumpolar health; mortality; prevention & control; rural health; public health; Cancer
• ISSN: 2242-3982; 1239-9736; 2242-3982
• DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2017.1324231

Background: Although cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, cancer in the North has been incompletely described. Objective: To determine cancer mortality rates in the Yukon Territory, compare them with Canadian rates, and identify major causes of cancer mortality. Design: The Yukon Vital Statistics Registry provided all cancer deaths for Yukon residents between 1999-2013. Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated using direct standardisation and compared with Canadian rates. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using indirect standardisation relative to age-specific rates from Canada, British Columbia (BC), and three sub-provincial BC administrative health regions : Interior Health (IH), Northern Health (NH) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). Trends in smoothed ASMRs were examined with graphical methods. Results: Yukon's all-cancer ASMRs were elevated compared with national and provincial rates for the entire period. Disparities were greatest compared with the urban VCH: prostate (SMR VCH =246.3, 95% CI 140.9-351.6), female lung (SMR VCH =221.2, 95% CI 154.3-288.1), female breast (SMR VCH =169.0 95% CI, 101.4-236.7), and total colorectal (SMR VCH =149.3, 95% CI 101.8-196.8) cancers were significantly elevated. Total stomach cancer mortality was significantly elevated compared with all comparators. Conclusions: Yukon cancer mortality rates were elevated compared with national, provincial, urban, and southern-rural jurisdictions. More research is required to elucidate these differences.