Powell River cancer rates are about 16 per cent above provincial average, according to the BC Cancer Agency.
Andy Coldman, vice-president of Population Oncology with the agency, said that data collected between 2000 and 2009 indicates about a 10 per cent increase in diagnoses from the 1993-2000 period. During that time there were roughly 135 cases of cancer.
“This increase is related to the changing demographics of Powell River with increasing numbers of people above age 50,” Coldman told the Peak. “People in Powell River are getting older. Cancer risk increases strongly with age.
“The four major cancers (breast, lung, prostate and colorectal) continue to make up over 50 per cent of the cancers diagnosed in Powell River residents as they do in the rest of the province,” he said.
Rates which increased in the 2000 to 2009 period are stomach cancer 39 per cent; prostate cancer 27 per cent; lung cancer 14 per cent; colorectal cancer 10 per cent; and miscellaneous cancers 10 per cent. Coldman said Powell River cancer rates have taken a leap since the previous period.
“When all cancers are grouped together Powell River had an overall rate 16 per cent above the provincial average in 2000 to 2009, compared to 15 per cent above in 1993 to 2000.”
Coldman stated that there is no single factor that is causing leaps in cancer rates. However, he blames smoking for the rise in lung cancer.
“Although there are several causes of lung cancer the largest determinant in our population is smoking. Since long-term smokers have 1,000 to 2,000 per cent elevation in risk of lung cancer (compared to non-smokers) it does not take a large difference in smoking patterns to alter the regional rates of lung cancer,” he said.
The report attributes the increase of prostate cancer to the use of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate. Elevated levels of PSA could indicate the presence of cancer and is therefore used for early detection.
Coldman also attributes the increased cancer rates to a general rise in the population, stating that “There are more people living here than there were 10 years ago.”
Based on those factors, Coldman said that he thinks this is a trend that will continue. “I think that overall numbers of cancer cases will continue to rise in Powell River because of demographic factors as they are in the rest of the province. Lung cancer and prostate cancer rates are likely to remain elevated in the next few years,” he said.
