Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Cancer crisis looming in GTA,predicts 46% increase
Cancer crisis looming in GTA
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,
Report predicts 46% increase in next 10 years
Agency estimates cost will be in the `tens of millions'
The Greater Toronto region faces a 46 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next decade and will need a massive injection of health resources to cope with it, a report warns.
By 2014, the region will have 33,544 new cases of cancer a year, up from 23,023 this year, because of its growing and aging population, says the report by Cancer Care Ontario, obtained by the Star. The region also faces an 18 per cent increase in the number of people living with cancer.
"This slow glacier of cancer growth is absolutely certain," Dr. Terry Sullivan, chief operating officer of the cancer agency, said in an interview.
In the most comprehensive look yet at the state of cancer care in the region, the agency lays out a picture of a system characterized by "wide variations in activity, duplications, perceived gaps, unco-ordinated care and the lack of consistent quality and safety standards. These problems will become more severe in the face of continuing demands for cancer services." The GTA 2014 Cancer Report presents 76 recommendations in a wide-ranging plan to regionalize cancer services across the GTA, improve prevention and screening as well as diagnostic services, and increase the number of specialized doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists to cope with the growing load.
"This document gives us a plan and highlights where we need to improve," Sullivan said.
It's a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, at a time when the provincial Liberal government is cutting back. But both the provincial and federal governments have vowed to tackle health care.
"The Premier (Dalton McGuinty) and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) have both put a huge stake in the ground on waiting times," said Alan Hudson, CEO and president of the cancer agency. "They ran on it. This is a very significant promise they've made.
"But wait times are not a switch you're going to turn up or down," he said. "This is an extremely complicated business."
Waiting lists for cancer treatment first became a problem in the early 1990s. A decade later, there is a median five-week wait for radiation and chemotherapy across the province, with surgery waits of four to nine weeks.
Cancer is growing more rapidly than other diseases because the population is aging and growing.
The report, given to Health Minister George Smitherman this week, is the first in a series of 12 regional cancer plans that will be pulled together into an overall provincial plan to be completed in October.
Until then, the agency says it can't attach dollar figures to the needs in the system, but "we're talking about monumental costs, tens of millions over the next few years, multiple tens of millions, but not hundreds of millions," said Dr. Bob Bell, a surgical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital and member of Cancer Care Ontario's steering committee.
"It's a question of more effectively provided care, not just about more. We can do better without more, but more is critical," he said.
Ontario spends about $2 billion a year on cancer care.
"How much more is needed is a shot in the dark,