The Canadian Cancer Society released our annual cancer statistics today. The good news is that death and incidence rates for the majority of cancers have declined or stabilized during the past decade. And even better — British Columbia continues to have the lowest death and incident rates for all cancers in the country.

What’s our secret? BC has a low rate of tobacco use, low obesity rates and higher physical activity rates. So, remember, stopping smoking, eating healthy and getting fit definitely can make a difference.

Even with the lowest rates in Canada, B.C. will still have an estimated 21,600 new cases and 9,500 estimated new deaths in 2010. So you can see, prevention is only part of the puzzle – there is still important research and support work to be done.

You can find more details about official percentages, statistics and outlooks on specific cancers here.