Cancer numbers down, aging population means more patients
Posted Feb 4, 2013 6:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The province’s cancer rate is in a slow decline, but an aging population is still putting pressure on the healthcare system.
Alberta Health Services cancer care Vice President, Dr. Paul Grundy, says public health campaigns that have encouraged prevention and cancer screening have helped the rate to drop.
Better treatment options are also helping patients get better and live longer.
However, Grundy predicts as the population gets older, cancer cases in the province will likely double in the next 20 years.
He tells The Calgary Herald they are managing the numbers right now, but Alberta needs to start seriously planning how they will handle patients in the future.
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