Cancer specialists in many disciplines are in short supply in Canada. Cancer cases in Canada are increasing rapidly in part because the population is getting larger, and in part because the population is getting older and cancer is a disease that hits the elderly hardest. About 60 per cent of cancer cases in Nova Scotia are diagnosed in patients over the age of 65. The most common cancers are lung, colorectal, breast and prostate. Cancer is a family of diseases, in almost every case treatable, often for cure and always for comfort.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable cancer deaths.