Facts
Numbers are powerful and can be persuasive pieces of evidence. However each person’s unique and individual response to multiple myeloma is a greater factor. Myeloma statistics provide general information without individual detail. Current statistics may underestimate improved treatment outcomes of newer agents, drug combinations and better supportive care.
Once considered a disease of the elderly 70+ years old, myeloma is being found in younger people. Whether this is due to greater awareness, or increasing numbers, the average age now is the early 60s, with a few people being diagnosed in their late twenties, thirties and forties.
Multiple Myeloma in Canada
In Canada there are about 6645 people living with multiple myeloma.
| Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Estimated New Cases | 2,300 | 1,300 | 1000 |
| 2011 Estimated Deaths | 1,350 | 730 | 640 |
Estimated new cases by Sex and Province in Canada in 2009:
| Canada | NL | PE | NS | NB | QC | ON | MB | SK | AB | BC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 1300 | 15 | 10 | 40 | 30 | 350 | 510 | 40 | 35 | 110 | 150 |
| Females | 1000 | 10 | 5 | 30 | 25 | 270 | 420 | 30 | 25 | 90 | 110 |
| Totals | 2300 | 25 | 15 | 70 | 55 | 620 | 930 | 70 | 60 | 200 | 260 |
Multiple Myeloma in British Columbia
| Estimated Number of Multiple Myeloma Cases Diagnosed in 2011 Age at Diagnosis and Gender |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-19 | 20-39 | 40-59 | 60-79 | 80+ | Total 276 | ||||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 20 | 90 | 62 | 36 | 35 | 157 | 119 |
In 2013, estimated new cancer diagnoses are reported to be 167 men and 126 women, for a total of 294.
| Myeloma Cancer Deaths in BC for 2009 Age at Diagnosis and Gender |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-19 | 20-39 | 40-59 | 60-79 | 80+ | Total 142 | ||||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 48 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 85 | 57 |
Regional Stats (BC)
| Provincial Health Authority Regions | Cancer Diagnosis | Cancer Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Interior | 54 | 29 |
| Fraser | 78 | 50 |
| Vancouver Coastal | 60 | 31 |
| Vancouver Island | 51 | 39 |
| Northern | 19 | 11 |
The Regional myeloma statistics include both men and women living in each of the five health authority regions in a given year.
Most of the persons dying from cancer in a given year were diagnosed in previous years. Fraser region has the largest number of new cases and deaths because it has the largest population.
Canadians Living Longer
The Medical Post reported on a study of 461 myeloma patients in BC where Dr. C. Venner, a haematologist with the Leukemia/ Bone Marrow Transplant Program of British Columbia, explained an increase in lifespan for those in Canada living with multiple myeloma. The findings showed the new drugs, lenalidomide (Revlimid) and bortezomib (Velcade) work and prolong survival in both high – and low risk cases. “The novel agents gave patients – who without the drugs, would have a poor prognosis – at least as good an outcome as low-risk patients with a good prognosis used to have pre – 2004,” said Dr. Venner.
