The Downfalls of Cancer Screening

Cancer is universally feared—and for good reason. It’s the cause of death for one in four Canadians.¹ In our fight against cancer, we’ve taken a two-pronged approach: diagnose cancer earlier through screening, and research new medications and surgeries to treat cancer more effectively upon diagnosis. Over the past three decades, the five-year survival rate from all cancers has increased by over 10% in Canada, due in no small part to screening.¹

There’s no doubt about it: screening has saved countless lives. Yet, the fear of cancer continues to grip society. In other words, our societal perception of cancer has been trailing behind our immense scientific progress in both treatments and screening—a fear that American surgeon George Crile Jr. called “cancerphobia” back in 1955.