Supplementary data: Ontario

This page provides data visualizations related to the priorities for Canada’s cancer system.

Download the data tables and technical appendix for all indicators.

Priority 1 Action 1: Help people to stop smoking or not start in the first place and live healthier lives

Topic: Keeping people smoke-free
Title of image: Percentage of individuals (aged ≥ 12) in ON classified as daily or occasional smokers
Caveats/limitations:

  • This indicator was reported using the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and is based on self-reported data.
  • Individuals who did not respond to the required CCHS questions regarding smoking status were not included in the analysis.

Ontario: 13.7% in 2019, and 11.6% in 2021. Canada: 14.7% in 2019, and 11.8% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Keeping people smoke-free
Title of image: Percentage of males in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as daily or occasional smokers, by household income quintile
Caveats/limitations:

  • This indicator was reported using the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and is based on self-reported data.
  • Individuals who did not respond to the required CCHS questions regarding smoking status were not included in the analysis.
  • Interpret with caution owing to large variability in the 2021 estimates.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the data collection operations and response rates for this survey.

Quintile 1: 24.4% in 2019, and 19.5% in 2021. Quintile 2: 18.7% in 2019, and 17.2% in 2021. Quintile 3: 17.5% in 2019, and 13% in 2021. Quintile 4: 19.6% in 2019, and 13.4% in 2021. Quintile 5: 12.3% in 2019, and 10.7% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Keeping people smoke-free
Title of image: Percentage of females in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as daily or occasional smokers, by household income quintile
Caveats/limitations:

  • This indicator was reported using the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and is based on self-reported data.
  • Individuals who did not respond to the required CCHS questions regarding smoking status were not included in the analysis.
  • Interpret with caution owing to large variability in the 2021 estimates.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the data collection operations and response rates for this survey.

Quintile 1: 15.3% in 2019, and 14.3% in 2021. Quintile 2: 12.7% in 2019, and 9.0% in 2021. Quintile 3: 10.5% in 2019, and 10.8% in 2021. Quintile 4: 9.9% in 2019, and 8.4% in 2021. Quintile 5: 7.2% in 2019, and 8.6% in 2021.Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Keeping people smoke-free
Title of image: Percentage of males in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as daily or occasional smokers, by highest level of education
Caveats/limitations: Interpret with caution owing to large variability in the 2021 estimates.

Less than secondary school graduation: 32% in 2019, and 23.7% in 2021. Secondary school graduation, no post-secondary education: 21.9% in 2019, and 20.3% in 2021. Post-secondary certificate/diploma or university degree: 14.8% in 2019, and 11.6% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Keeping people smoke-free
Title of image: Percentage of females in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as daily or occasional smokers, by highest level of education
Caveats/limitations: Interpret with caution owing to large variability in the 2021 estimates.

Less than secondary school graduation: 18.4% in 2019, and 14.1% in 2021. Secondary school graduation, no post-secondary education: 15.1% in 2019, and 15.1% in 2021. Post-secondary certificate/diploma or university degree: 8.9% in 2019, and 8.5% in 2021.Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Maintaining healthy body weight
Title of image: Percentage of individuals in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as overweight or obese
Caveats/limitations:

  • This indicator was reported using the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and is based on self-reported data.
  • Individuals who did not respond to the required CCHS questions to derive the BMI classifications were not included in the analysis.

Ontario: 65.8% in 2019, and 64.8% in 2021. Canada: 65.9% in 2019, and 64.7% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Maintaining healthy body weight
Title of image: Percentage of individuals in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as overweight or obese, by sex
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the data collection operations and response rates for this survey.

Males: 71.1% in 2017-2018, and 69.2% in 2021. Females: 60.6% in 2017-2018, and 60.4% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Maintaining healthy body weight
Title of image: Percentage of males in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as overweight or obese, by income quintile
Caveats/limitations:

  • Interpret with caution owing to large variability in the 2021 estimates.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the data collection operations and response rates for this survey.

Quintile 1: 64.9% in 2017-2018, and 60.2% in 2021. Quintile 2: 72.6% in 2017-2018, and 75% in 2021. Quintile 3: 68.3% in 2017-2018, and 70.4% in 2021. Quintile 4: 72.8% in 2017-2018, and 69.1% in 2021. Quintile 5: 75.7% in 2017-2018, and 70.7% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Maintaining healthy body weight
Title of image: Percentage of females in ON (aged ≥ 18) classified as overweight or obese, by income quintile
Caveats/limitations:

  • Interpret with caution owing to large variability in the 2021 estimates.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the data collection operations and response rates for this survey.

Quintile 1: 62.7% in 2017-2018, and 62.9% in 2021. Quintile 2: 62.7% in 2017-2018, and 59.2% in 2021. Quintile 3: 62.4% in 2017-2018, and 63.9% in 2021. Quintile 4: 61.9% in 2017-2018, and 60.6% in 2021. Quintile 5: 53.2% in 2017-2018, and 55.1% in 2021.Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Priority 1 Action 2: Adopt proven practices known to reduce the risk of cancer

Topic: Increasing HPV vaccination
Title of image: Percentage of Grade 7 students in ON who received final dose of HPV vaccination in the 2017-2018 school year, by sex
62.4% for females; 57.5% for males

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing genetic testing
Title of image: Number of individuals aged 30 to 69 years in ON diagnosed with breast cancer, per 1,000 individuals who underwent genetic testing prior to cancer diagnosis, by age group
Caveats/limitations: This indicator only included genetic testing through the High Risk OBSP; genetic testing performed outside the program was not included.

2020: Age 30 to 39 is 25.4%. Age 40 to 49 is 19.3%. Age 50 to 59 is 19.8%. Age 60 to 69 is 13.7%. See table for full description.

Title of table: Number of individuals aged 30 to 69 years in ON diagnosed with breast cancer, per 1,000 individuals who underwent genetic testing prior to cancer diagnosis, by age group

Age group 2018  2019 2020 (Start of pandemic)
30-39  16.1 20.1 25.4
40-49  21.0 11.4 19.3
50-59  16.4 18.6 19.8
60-69  13.6 10.1 13.7

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing genetic testing
Title of image: Number of individuals aged 30 to 69 years in ON diagnosed with breast cancer, per 1,000 individuals who underwent genetic testing
Caveats/limitations: This indicator only included genetic testing through the High Risk OBSP; genetic testing performed outside the program was not included.

2018: 16.7%. 2019: 14.8%. 2020: 18.9%.
Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 2 Action 1: Prioritize rapid access to appropriate diagnosis for those suspected of having cancer

Topic: Reducing wait for diagnosis
Title of image: Wait time (days) from suspicion of breast cancer to time of diagnosis (screening year 2019)
Caveats/limitations: This indicator includes all patients with breast cancer. For those with a prior breast cancer the algorithm may not be precise and may suggest longer wait times.

Median is 28 days. 90th Percentile is 133 days.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage IV at diagnosis in ON for lung and colorectal cancers

Lung: 45% in 2018, and 44.1% in 2019. Colorectal: 20.2% in 2018, and 20.6% in 2019.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage at diagnosis in ON for lung cancer

Stage 1: 26.5% in 2018, and 27.5% in 2019. Stage 2: 7.9% in 2018, and 8.5% in 2019. Stage 3: 18.8% in 2018, and 18% in 2019. Stage 4: 45% in 2018, and 44.1% in 2019. Stage Unknown: 1.7% in 2018, and 1.9% in 2019.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage at diagnosis in ON for colorectal cancer
Caveats/limitations: “Unknown stage” means that an attempt was made to stage the case, but the patient record was missing the necessary information. This could be because of limited stage work-up in the clinical setting.

Stage 1: 18.3% in 2018, and 17.6% in 2019. Stage 2: 24.6% in 2018, and 25.2% in 2019. Stage 3: 27.1% in 2018, and 25.3% in 2019. Stage 4: 20.2% in 2018, and 20.6% in 2019. Stage Unknown: 9.7% in 2018, and 11.3% in 2019.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 2 Action 2: Prioritize rapid access to appropriate diagnosis for those suspected of having cancer

Topic: Increasing participation in colorectal cancer screening
Title of image: Percentage of individuals in ON who had at least one of the following: 1) FOBT/FIT test (in the last 2 years), 2) flexible sigmoidoscopy (in the last 10 years), or 3) colonoscopy (in the last 10 years), as of December 31, 2019
Overall at 63.1%. Age 50 to 54 at 51%. Age 55 to 59 at 62.1%. Age 60 to 64 at 66.3%. Age 65 to 69 at 70.1%. Age 70 to 74 at 71.4%.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 3 Action 1: Set best practices and standards for care delivery and promote their adoption

Topic: Implementing multidisciplinary care
Title of image: Percentage of GI Multidisciplinary Cancer Conferences (MCCs) that were standards concordant in 2019-2020

Overall 91.4%Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Implementing multidisciplinary care
Title of image: Estimated percentage of pediatric patients with cancer (all cancers combined) who were discussed by a multidisciplinary care team within 1 month of treatment initiation in the past year (2020-2021)
Caveats/limitations: These data are based on the estimated percentages of children with cancer discussed in multidisciplinary tumour boards, based on semi-structured interviews, conducted by POGO, with Tumour Board Leads at the pediatric cancer programs in Ontario.

Overall 80%Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 3 Action 2: Eliminate low-benefit practices and adopt high-value practices

Topic: Optimizing care at end of life
Title of image: Percentage of cancer patients who received systemic therapy in the last two weeks of life in 2019
Caveats/limitations: Ontario Health reports systemic treatment within the last 30 days of life for Ontario-specific reporting.

Overall 6.8%

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and program

Topic: Optimizing screening and appropriate follow-up
Title of image: Percentage of people with a cervix aged 18-24 who received a cytology (Pap) test in 2019
Caveats/limitations: The Ontario Cervical Screening Program does not recommend screening before age 21. Starting in June 2020, the program is encouraging healthcare providers to delay the initiation of cervical screening until age 25 for immune competent people. This is based on moderate quality evidence suggesting that people under age 25 do not benefit from cervical screening. The program will formally change the age of initiation for cervical screening from 21 to 25 for most people with the implementation of human papillomavirus testing in the program. Click here for more information.
Overall (age 18 to 24): 13.8%, Age 18 to 20.5: 3.2%Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 4 Action 2: Ensure rural and remote communities have the resources required to better serve their people

Topic: Increasing access to virtual care
Title of image: Percentage of cancer patients and visits from rural/remote communities using virtual health appointments
Caveats and limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

2019: 12% of visits, and 19.3% of patients. 2020: 47.3% of visits, and 72.3% of patients. 2021: 54.7% of visits, and 76.1% of patients.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing access to virtual care
Title of image: Percentage of appointments for cancer patients from rural/remote communities using virtual health, by appointment type
Caveats and limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

2019: Systemic 10.9%. Radiation 13.9%. Psychosocial oncology 15.5%. 2020: Systemic 42.6%. Radiation 54.5%. Psychosocial oncology 61.1%. 2021: Systemic 49%. Radiation 62.8%. Psychosocial oncology 73%.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing access to virtual care
Title of image: Percentage of cancer patients from rural/remote communities using virtual health, by appointment type
Caveats and limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

2019: Systemic 15.2%. Radiation 17.2%. Psychosocial oncology 28.6%. 2020: Systemic 66.4%. Radiation 69.1%. Psychosocial oncology 72.4%. 2021: Systemic 69.4%. Radiation 75.3%. Psychosocial oncology 85.5%.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing access to supportive care services
Title of image: Percentage of patients with cancer in rural/remote areas who received palliative care or psychosocial oncology services
Note: Palliative care and psychosocial service utilization in rural/remote areas was comparable to that of urban areas.
Palliative: 24.7%, Psychosocial: 11.4%Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 4 Action 3: Ensure care can be delivered between provinces, territories and federal jurisdictions when needed

Topic: Improving access to timely care for people who need to travel between jurisdictions
Title of image: Number of patients who received funding approval under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan for cancer treatment outside of Canada
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

2019-2020: 69 patients. 2020-2021: 27 patients. 2021-2022: 24 patients.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and program

Priority 5 Action 1: Integrate the full spectrum of information and support services to ensure people are fully supported throughout the cancer experience

Topic: Improving access to shared medical records
Title of image: Percentage of clinicians with access to clinical viewer with treatment data consolidated (including cancer) who are active users of the clinical viewer
Caveats/limitations: Data included patients with cancer but was not exclusively for this patient population.

2020: 51.4%. 2021: 36.8%.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and program

Priority 5 Action 3: Support children, adolescents and young adults at key transition points in their unique cancer journeys

Topic: Improving care for adolescents and young adults with cancer
Title of image: Percentage of AYA with cancer who had a specialized care plan pathway, 2021
Caveats/limitations:

  • Other gender and remote location categories are suppressed due to fewer than 5 responses.
  • Please note that recruitment for this survey did not target specific groups within the YACC’s community (e.g., by gender, location), but went to the community at large, which has a higher percentage of people identifying as female and living in an urban area. This means the proportion of respondents with different characteristics may not be evenly distributed.

Overall is 44%. Age 15 to 29 is 64.5%. Age 30 to 39 is 32.1%. Females at 37%. Males at 52.8%. Rural at 19%. Urban at 54.1%.Data source: Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) Survey 2021

Topic: Improving care for adolescents and young adults with cancer
Title of image: Percentage of AYA with cancer who had a positive experience of transition in care along their cancer journey, 2021

Overall at 40.5%. Age 15 to 29 at 45.2%. Age 30 to 39 at 37.7%. Females at 32.6%. Males at 52.8%. Rural at 28.6%. Urban at 42.6%.
Data source: Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) Survey 2021

Download the data tables and technical appendix for all indicators.