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

Jonathan Simkin; Ryan Woods; Catherine Elliott

doi:10.1080/22423982.2017.1324231

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

Int J Circumpolar Health. 2017;76(1):1324231. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2017.1324231.

Authors

Jonathan Simkin^{1

2}, Ryan Woods^{1

3}, Catherine Elliott^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ a School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada.
² b Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health , Department of Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon , Whitehorse , Yukon , Canada.
³ c Cancer Control Research , British Columbia Cancer Agency , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Cancer; Yukon Territory; circumpolar health; epidemiology; mortality; population health; prevention & control; public health; rural health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Age Distribution
Arctic Regions / epidemiology
Canada / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Neoplasms / mortality*
Rural Population
Sex Distribution
Socioeconomic Factors
Yukon Territory / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The authors have not received any funding or benefits from industry or elsewhere to conduct this study.