Examining Lung Cancer Outcomes Among First Nations and Non-Indigenous Adults in Canada, 2006-2015: A Retrospective Cohort Study using the 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC).

Authors

Sydney Glac, Lisa K Ellison, Alethea Kewayosh, Brenda Elias, Angeline Letendre, Michael Tjepkema, Loraine D Marrett, Amanda J Sheppard

Published in

Journal of cancer policy. Pages 100816. Oct 07, 2026. Epub Oct 07, 2026.

Abstract

This study examines lung cancer incidence, mortality, survival, stage and age at diagnosis among First Nations compared to non-Indigenous adults in Canada. Findings aim to close the gap in national First Nations-specific lung cancer data and to inform current and future lung cancer screening programs.
The 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC) was used. Lung cancer incidence and mortality, stratified by sex, age, region and stage at diagnosis, were age-standardized to the 1960 World Standard Population and compared between First Nations and non-Indigenous adults using Poisson regression models. Five-year survival by sex and stage at diagnosis was compared between First Nations and non-Indigenous adults using Cox Proportional Hazards models.
Compared to non-Indigenous adults, lung cancer incidence was higher in First Nations men and women. Variation across age groups and regions was also observed. Mortality was higher among First Nations women, men (any-cause and cancer-specific only) and both sexes. First Nations adults had a higher incidence for early-stage (both sexes combined) and late-stage (both sexes combined and women) lung cancer. Five-year survival was significantly poorer among First Nations women, and among First Nations adults for both early and late-stage lung cancer.
Findings support the implementation of lung cancer screening programs across Canada with an enhanced focus on early detection and culturally appropriate interventions, which points towards a hopeful path for improving lung cancer outcomes among First Nations people.

PMID:
42843649
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Oct 2026.

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