Newfoundland and Labrador may have some of the highest cancer mortality rates in the country.

But the good news is, if you get the dreaded diagnosis, your chances of survival are better here than most other parts of the country.

An aging population is leading to high cancer mortality rates, but Chad Lever of the Conference Board of Canada says a variety of factors contribute to a greater incidence-to-survival ratio.

Lever says they looked at the association between mortality and health system performance, finding this province has the lowest incidence-to-mortality ratio in Canada.

Lever says while they have to dig into the data a bit further to see what other factors are leaning in Newfoundland and Labrador’s favour, one area that shows some significance is a greater sense of well-being and belonging among people in this province compared to other jurisdictions.

He says there is good evidence to show that fair to poor self-rated mental health and high levels of stress are related to poorer survival outcomes, and in NL that sense of well-being was among the strongest in the country.