The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with lung cancer has doubled over the past three decades, but the disease remains one of the most common causes of death among Canadians, new statistics indicate.
The number of people living five years after they were diagnosed with lung cancer rose from 13 percent to 27 percent between 1992 and 2021, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.
Advancements in treatments have led to improved survival rates for lung cancer, the agency said. Immunotherapy, which stimulates the patient’s immune system to target cancerous cells, and the increasing use of molecular targeted therapy drugs that block the growth and spread of cancer by interfering with specific key molecules have both played a role in the improved stats….