In 1990, an estimated 104,000 new cases of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) will be diagnosed in Canada. The estimated number of deaths due to cancer in that same year will total 54,500. Just over one in three Canadians can expect to develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, and one in four men and one in five women will die from this disease. Almost 10% of women will develop breast cancer, while close to 8% of men will develop lung cancer. In 1990, lung cancer alone is expected to account for 17,300 newly diagnosed cancers (16.6% of the total), and 14,200 cancer deaths (26% of the total). Cancer will also take its toll as the fourth leading cause of death in children. This article explores additional statistics, trends in cancer incidence and mortality since 1970, cancer survival rates, and cancer mortality by income level. This article is based on material prepared by Statistics Canada for inclusion in Canadian Cancer Statistics 1990 (1), and developed in collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society, Health and Welfare Canada, and provincial and territorial cancer registries.