The researchers aim to determine mesothelioma patterns in Canada and investigate survival trends in B.C. and Ontario from 1992 to 2018. The researchers will also predict when cases of mesothelioma will peak in Canada. Using data from the Canadian Cancer Registry and Ontario and B.C. cancer registries, the researchers will use various methods to project future trends in newly diagnosed mesothelioma cases - nationally, provincially, and by sex and tumour topography, from 2017 to 2067. Analyses will take into consideration demographic factors, tumor characteristics, and location.

Asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma will continue to arise for decades, because these diseases develop decades after exposure. Trends in mesothelioma incidence in Canada have not been examined since 2008, and the latest incidence data was published by Statistics Canada in 2013. This research aims to fill current knowledge gaps in the numbers and rates of newly diagnosed cases in Canada, as well as about the five-year survival rate and potential prognostic factors.