Lung cancer death rates decreasing but still biggest cancer killer, report says

A new report says lung cancer death rates in Canada have declined significantly over the past several years.

It says deaths from lung cancer have decreased by about four per cent per year since 2015.

Canadian Cancer Society epidemiologist Jennifer Gillis says those rates show progress in getting people to stop smoking, as tobacco is a factor in about 70 per cent of lung cancer cases.

But Gillis says that another critical intervention is early detection and treatment.

Despite the progress, lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada.

The annual report is issued by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee, along with the Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.