Toronto -- The newly released Canadian Cancer Statistics 1998 shows the number of new cases of cancer is expected to increase by 30% within 12 years. And that's after a 30% increase in the number of new cases over the past decade. Along with the rising number of cases comes a growing price tag for the health-care system. The report shows $3.5 billion was spent in 1993 in direct costs for treating cancer patients, up from $1.9 billion in 1986. Costs are expected to keep rising as the Canadian population ages. Estimates for 1998 suggest 59,100 (46%) of new cases and 35,900 (57%) of cancer deaths will occur in Canadians aged 70 or more. About half the newly diagnosed cancers in the elderly are cancers of the lung, prostate, colon and rectum, the report said. Just 3% of new cases and 0.3% of deaths occur prior to age 20. The total number of new cases and deaths in all age groups expected in 1998 are 129,000 and 62,700, respectively-compared with 100,000 and 50,600 in 1988. The good news is that since 1969 there has been a steady decrease in mortality from cancer in both sexes for all age groups under 60. Among men, mortality rates for all cancers is gradually declining. Mortality rates for women have remained stable, with the exception of lung cancer. "When lung cancer rates are excluded, the (overall) mortality rate for women has dropped by 15% since 1971," the report said. "Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates among women continue to increase rapidly and are now more than four times as high as rates in 1969. However, they remain only half as high as rates for men." Breast cancer The incidence of breast cancer has been going up, but death rates have been dropping since 1985, and have taken a major dip since 1990. The report includes international comparisons of cancer types and incidence rates, but it points out there are differences in data collection in other countries. For one, "Canada is one of the few countries in the world having a system of population-based cancer registries covering most of the country's population ... one must be aware that many cancer registries elsewhere are not population-based." Data from other countries may cover only specific regions or urban centers, the report says. Among the international variations are big differences in the incidence of cancer of the cervix. The incidence in European countries is slightly higher than that of Canada, but is four-fold higher in Ecuador and more than eight-fold higher in Zimbabwe. The Czech Republic, Japan, China, Ecuador and Zimbabwe have higher male stomach cancer rates than Canada, too. But for both sexes, colorectal cancer rates are highest in North America and European countries. Melanoma rates are lowest among the U.S. black population and in countries with mostly non-white populations. Some of the differences in cancer rates between different countries could be due to variations in reporting mechanisms, screening capabilities, or true differences in incidence, the report says. Statistics for international cancer rates were provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Author not available, New cancer cases to rise 30% by 2010 [Canadian Cancer Society]. Vol. 34, Medical Post, 04-21-1998, pp 2.