Breast Cancer Survivors Double in Number

A recent study reveals that the number of women who survive breast cancer has doubled since 2007 in Canada.

“This indicates that the prevalence of breast cancer survivors in the Canadian female population has doubled and that there are 2.5 times more survivors since the last estimate in 2007,” says Amy Kirkham, assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.

The study found that out of the 370,756 patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2021, 86 percent had survived breast cancer by 2022. However, many treatments that improve breast cancer mortality rates can inadvertently cause various other short and long-term side effects. “The goal of my research lab is to develop new therapies to improve the health of women after surviving breast cancer,” continues Kirkham.