Hamilton, Ontario has the provinces worst cancer survival rates, according to one report published by the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario. If you think about it, Hamilton, Ontario is just a short hop across the lake from us. What’s different there than here in Rochester, NY? Not sure I can say. Read this interesting article, Hamilton’s cancer survival rates among worst in Ontario, report says, published by the CBC. The article backs up its claim with facts and numbers.
Spoiler alert: this article promotes prevention as the key to lowering cancer rates and boosting longterm survival rates. Granted, some readers write to complain that the environment has some share of the blame for increases in cancer rates, and the article doesn’t focus on that aspect. Changing our industry-polluted environment is something we may, or may not, influence change over – and I would imagine those same environmental issues play out here. But the basic concepts of the article? We have control over our lifestyle choices: alcohol consumption, eating enough fruits and vegetables, inactivity, obesity, and smoking. These contribute to higher incidences of cancers and cancer survivors not passing the five-year survival rate. Are Hamiltonians so different than Rochesterians when it comes to lifestyle choices?