Supplementary data: Alberta

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 in AB (aged ≥ 12) classified as daily or occasional smokers
Caveats/limitations:

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

Alberta: 15.4% in 2019, and 11.5% in 2021. Canada: 14.7% in 2019, and 11.8% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

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

Alberta at 66.6% in 2019, and 64.7% in 2021. Canada at 65.9% in 2019, and 64.7% in 2020.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

Topic: Maintaining healthy body weight
Title of image: Percentage of individuals (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: 73.3% in 2017-2018 , and 70.5% in 2021. Females: 59.5% in 2017-2018, and 58.8% in 2021.Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

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

Quintile 1: 68.1% in 2017-2018, and 70.2% in 2021. Quintile 2: 68.3% in 2017-2018, and 63.1% in 2021. Quintile 3: 72.2% in 2017-2018, and 63.9% in 2021. Quintile 4: 77.4% in 2017-2018 and 74.8% in 2021. Quintile 5: 75.8% in 2017-2018, and 76.7% in 2021.

Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey

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

Quintile 1: 59.3% in 2017-2018, and 62.4% in 2021. Quintile 2: 64.1% in 2017-2018, and 62.5% in 2021. Quintile 3: 58.1% in 2017-2018, and 57.8% in 2021. Quintile 4: 61.4% in 2017-2018, and 61.2% in 2021. Quintile 5: 55.9% in 2017-2018, and 51.5% 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 people who received a full course of HPV vaccination
Caveats/limitations:

  • Updated schedule for HPV vaccinations in Alberta specifies that children aged 9-14 years who are able to produce a normal immune response and who do not have HIV will receive a 2-dose series.
  • A full course of HPV vaccination was considered two doses by age 12 in 2019 but was changed to two doses by age 13 in 2020.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Male: 63% in 2019, 65.9% in 2020, and 40.9% in 2021. Female: 65.6% in 2019, 68% in 2020, and 42.6% in 2021.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing genetic testing
Title of image: Percentage of female patients in AB diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer who received genetic testing within 9 months of diagnosis
Caveats/limitations:

  • Some patients may seek private genetic testing to guide treatment. Private genetic testing data is not available.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Breast: 56.3% in 2019, and 67.5% in 2020. Ovarian: 47.3% in 2019, and 51.1% in 2020.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Increasing genetic testing
Title of image: Percentage of patients in AB diagnosed with breast cancer who received genetic testing within 9 months of diagnosis, by sex
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Males: 28% in 2019, and 55% in 2020. Females: 56.3% in 2019, and 67.5% in 2020.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: Time from suspicion of cancer to definitive diagnosis of colorectal cancer
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Median: 90 days in 2020, and 71 days in 2021. 90th percentile: 216 days in 2020. 169 days in 2021.
Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs


Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage 4 diagnosis in AB, by sex
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Lung: Males: 47.5% in 2019, and 47.3% in 2020. Females: 43.1% in 2019, and 44.8% in 2020. Colorectal: Males: 24% in 2019, and 22.6% in 2020. Females: 20.4% in 2019, and 21.9% in 2020. Bladder: Males: 6% in 2019, and 4.7% in 2020. Females: 6% in 2019, and 4.3% in 2020. Melanoma: Males: 5% in 2019, and 5.1% in 2020. Females: 2% in 2019, and 2.1% in 2020.
Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage at diagnosis for lung cancer
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Stage 0: 0% in 2019, and 0% in 2020. Stage 1: 22% in 2019, and 23.8% in 2020. Stage 2: 8% in 2019, and 7.4% in 2020. Stage 3: 17% in 2019, and 15.3% in 2020. Stage 4: 45.2% in 2019, and 46% in 2020. Stage unknown or occult: 4% in 2019, and 2.5% in 2020. Stage not available or not applicable: 5% in 2019, and 5% in 2020.
Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage at diagnosis for colorectal cancer
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Stage 0: 1% in 2019, and 0.8% in 2020. Stage 1: 17% in 2019, and 15.3% in 2020. Stage 2: 20% in 2019, and 20% in 2020. Stage 3: 25% in 2019, and 25.1% in 2020. Stage 4: 22.5% in 2019, and 22.3% in 2020. Stage unknown or occult: 15% in 2019, and 15.8% in 2020. Stage not available or not applicable: 1% in 2019, and 0.6% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage at diagnosis for bladder cancer
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Stage 0: 52% in 2019, and 50.3% in 2020. Stage 1: 18% in 2019, and 19.2% in 2020. Stage 2: 9% in 2019, and 9.1% in 2020. Stage 3: 5% in 2019, and 5.8% in 2020. Stage 4: 5.6% in 2019, and 4.6% in 2020. Stage Unknown or Occult: 9% in 2019, and 9.8% in 2020. Stage Not Available or Not Applicable: 1% in 2019, and 1.2% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Diagnosing cancer earlier
Title of image: Proportion of stage at diagnosis for melanoma
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Stage 0 : 1% in 2019, and 0.9% in 2020. Stage 1: 36% in 2019, and 36.2% in 2020. Stage 2: 12% in 2019, 11.8% in 2020. Stage 3: 9% in 2019, and 9.4% in 2020. Stage 4: 3.7% in 2019, and 3.8% in 2020. Stage Unknown or Occult: 38% in 2019, and 37.9% in 2020. Stage Not Available or Not Applicable: 0% in 2019, and 0% in 2020.
Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 2 Action 2: Strengthen existing screening efforts and implement lung cancer screening programs across the country

Topic: Increasing participation in colorectal cancer screening
Title of image: Percentage of AB who had FIT test in past two years and/or sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy in the past five years, by age group
Caveats/limitations:

  • Participation in the 50-54 age group is expected to be the lowest as those in this age group recently became eligible for screening (e.g., someone aged 51 years would be asked whether they received sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy in the last five years but has only been eligible for screening for the last two years).
  • The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Age 50 to 54: 48.2% in 2019, and 42.6% in 2020. Age 55 to 59: 53.3% in 2019, and 48.2% in 2020. Age 60 to 64: 58% in 2019, and 52.7% in 2020. Age 65 to 69: 62.7% in 2019, and 57.2% in 2020. Age 70 to 74: 63.4% in 2019, and 58.4% in 2020.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 patients who died of cancer and received any systemic therapy in the last two weeks of life
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

2.3% in 2019, and 2.2% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Optimizing care at end of life
Title of image: Percentage of patients who died of cancer and received any systemic therapy in the last two weeks of life, by health zone
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Health Zone 1 South: 3.9% in 2019, and 3.9% in 2020 Health Zone 2 Calgary: 2.2% in 2019, and 1.8% in 2020. Health Zone 3 Central: 2.5% in 2019, and 2.4% in 2020. Health Zone 4 Edmonton: 1.6% in 2019, and 2.2% in 2020. Health Zone 5 North : 3.1% in 2019, and 2.3% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Optimizing care at end of life
Title of image: Percentage of patients who died of cancer and received any systemic therapy in the last two weeks of life, by age group
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Age 18 to 59: 3.9% in 2019, and 3.5% in 2020. Age 60 to 69: 3.2% in 2019, and 2.8% in 2020. Age 70 to 79: 1.9% in 2019, and 2.1% in 2020. Age 80 and over: 0.5% in 2019, and 0.7% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Optimizing screening and appropriate follow-up
Title of image: Percentage of eligible individuals aged 25-69 who were up-to-date* for screening during a 42-month period
*Includes individuals who completed at least one Pap test or colposcopy exam.
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

63.6% in 2017-19, and 59.6% in 2020-22.
Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 3 Action 3: Design and implement new models of care

Topic: Expanding models of care
Title of image: Percentage of new-to-institution patients attending a first consult who completed the patient reported outcomes tools at the time of the consult, by cancer type
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

All cancers: 77.5% in 2019, and 79.1% in 2020. Breast: 79.4% in 2019, and 80.8% in 2020. Colorectal: 79.3% in 2019, and 81.3% in 2020. Lung: 76.2% in 2019, and 81.5% in 2020. Prostate: 81.3% in 2019, and 72.6% in 2020.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Expanding models of care
Title of image: Percentage of new-to-institution patients attending a first consult who completed the patient reported outcomes tools at the time of the consult, by health zone
Caveats/limitations:

  • One facility in health zone 4 switched from paper charts to electronic format in September 2019. For this facility, only data for September onward were included for both the denominator and numerator.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Health Zone 1 South: 79.8% in 2019, and 72% in 2020. Health Zone 2 Calgary: 83% in 2019, and 79.7% in 2020. Health Zone 3 Central: 74.1% in 2019, and 70% in 2020. Health Zone 4 Edmonton: 69.7% in 2019, and 85% in 2020. Health Zone 5 North: 69.1% in 2019, and 75% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Topic: Expanding models of care
Title of image: Percentage of new-to-institution patients attending a first consult who completed the patient reported outcomes tools at the time of the consult, by age group
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Age 18 to 59: 76.7% in 2019, and 81% in 2020. Age 60 to 69: 77.7% in 2019, and 80.1% in 2020. Age 70 to 79: 78.3% in 2019, and 78.1% in 2020. Age 80 and over: 77.9% in 2019, and 73.5% in 2020.Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

Priority 4 Action 1: Provide better services and care adapted to the specific needs of underserved groups

Topic: Increasing access to culturally safe care
Title of image: Percentage of patients reporting that they were treated with dignity and respect during their cancer treatment
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

99.7% in 2020, and 99.7% in 2022.Data source: Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS)

Topic: Increasing access to culturally safe care
Title of image: Percentage of patients reporting that they were treated with dignity and respect during their cancer treatment, by sex
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Male: 99.7% in 2020, and 99.9% in 2022. Female: 99.7% in 2020, and 99.7% in 2022.Data source: Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS)

Topic: Increasing access to culturally safe care
Title of image: Percentage of patients reporting that they were treated with dignity and respect during their cancer treatment, by age group
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Age 18 to 34: 96.3% in 2020, and 100% in 2022. Age 35 to 44: 100% in 2020, and 100% in 2022. Age 45 to 54: 99.4% in 2020, and 99.2% in 2022. Age 55 to 64: 99.8% in 2020, and 99.7% in 2022. Age 65 and over: 99.8% in 2020, and 99.8% in 2022.Data source: Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS)

Topic: Increasing support to help patients navigate the system
Title of image: Percentage of patients with cancer living in rural/remote areas in AB who utilized the nurse navigator service
Caveats/limitations:

  • The data presented reflects only the nurse navigator support in rural/remote geographies. Indigenous and AYA Nurse Navigators for patients residing in non-rural/non-remote are not included. Cancer patient navigation support is assigned based on the needs of the patient.
  • Not all patients require direct care provided by a patient navigator. Navigation support at the two tertiary centres (Tom Baker Cancer Centre and Cross Cancer Institute) is provided by tumour triage coordinators and other health care providers and is not captured in these data.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

23.5% in 2019, and 24% in 2020.

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 supportive care services
Title of image: Availability of supportive care services (i.e. psychosocial) in rural/remote areas, by fiscal year
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

78% in 2020-21, and 84.3% in 2021-22.

Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

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 availability of information and support
Title of image: Percentage of patients reporting that they received enough information about therapies for treating cancer
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

95.5% in 2021, and 95.7% in 2022.Data source: Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS)

Topic: Improving availability of information and support
Title of image: Percentage of patients reporting that they received enough information about possible changes in their emotions, physical appearance and energy/fatigue levels
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

Appearance: 87.5% in 2021, and 87.4% in 2022. Emotions: 80.4% in 2021, and 80% in 2022. Energy and Fatigue: 91.5% in 2021, and 89.8% in 2022.

Data source: Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS)

Topic: Improving availability of information and support
Title of image: Percentage of patients reporting that they were referred to a care provider who could help with anxieties and fears
Caveats/limitations: The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected service provision.

46.6% in 2021 and 48.8% in 2022.

Data source: Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS)

Priority 5 Action 2: Address the limited and unequal access to palliative and end-of-life care across Canada

Topic: Improving access to quality end-of-life care
Title of image: Cumulative length of stay for cancer patients (overall) who were in or admitted to an acute care hospital 30 days prior to death across AB for fiscal years 2015, 2017 and 2019

2015: Median is 16 days. 90th percentile is 52 days. 2017: Median is 15 days. 90th percentile is 50 days. 2019: Median is 15 days. 90th percentile is 48 days.

Data source: Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Discharge Abstract Database (DAD)

Topic: Improving access to quality end-of-life care
Title of image: Cumulative length of stay for cancer patients (rural/remote) who were in or admitted to an acute care hospital 30 days prior to death across AB for fiscal years 2015, 2017 and 2019

2015: Median is 17 days. 90th percentile is 55 days. 2017: Median is 17 days. 90th percentile is 53 days. 2019: Median is 17 days. 90th percentile is 53 days.

Data source: Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Discharge Abstract Database (DAD)

Topic: Improving access to quality end-of-life care
Title of image: Cumulative length of stay for cancer patients (urban) who were in or admitted to an acute care hospital 30 days prior to death across AB for fiscal years 2015, 2017 and 2019
2015: Median is 15 days. 90th percentile is 50 days. 2017: Median is 14 days. 90th percentile is 49 days. 2019: Median is 14 days. 90th percentile is 44 days.

Data source: Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Discharge Abstract Database (DAD)

Download the data tables and technical appendix for all indicators