Cancer is set to outpace cardiovascular disease as the leading killer of Canadians, according to Statistics Canada data on mortality rates released yesterday – good news, say medical experts, for the success of new treatments but bad news for rates of developing a serious illness. Over the past quarter century, deaths due to heart disease have steadily declined to 30% in 2004 from 47% in 1979 while deaths attributable to cancer have climbed to 30% from 23% over the same period. The rates were near the point of converging in 2004. But some experts say that cancer likely has already surpassed cardiovascular maladies as the chief cause of death among Canadians since those figures were collected. ‘We probably have crossed over already,’ said Andreas Wielgosz, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at Ottawa Hospital and a spokesman for the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation. He attributed the lower mortality rates among those with cardiovascular problems to major advancements recognizing and treating heart attacks. ‘I think the decline is a combination of factors including better treatment, both surgical and medical and a lot of effort in prevention of disease, particularly in the area of prevention of a recurrence […]