By Admin at 30 Jan 2018, 11:09 AM
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., but according to the American Cancer Society’s latest annual report on cancer, Cancer Statistics 2018,[1] mortality rates have been dropping steadily for more than two decades. From 2006 to 2015, deaths from cancer declined by about 1.5 percent annually in both men and women. From 1991 to 2015, meanwhile, cancer deaths dropped by 26 percent, which represents more than 2.3 million cancer deaths prevented comparted to the number that would have occurred if the death rate stayed at its peak.
Steady reductions in smoking, along with advances in early detection and treatment, are responsible for most of the decline in cancer deaths, the report noted, which is reflected in the significant mortality reductions reported for the four major cancers: lung, breast, prostate and colorectal. Specifically, death rates dropped by 39 percent for female breast cancer, 52 percent for both prostate and colorectal cancers, and 45 percent for lung cancer among males (along with 19 percent for lung cancer among females).
Still, lung, breast and colorectal cancers (among women), and lung, prostate and colorectal cancers (among men) account for 45 percent of all cancer deaths, 1 in 4 being from lung cancer.[2] As for cancer incidence, the report estimated there will be 1,735,350 new cancer cases and 609,640 cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2018. While incidence remained steady in women over the last 10 years, incidence rates in men dropped by about 2 percent per year.
There also continue to be racial disparities in cancer death rates, particularly among those under 65 years — cancer mortality rates among non-Hispanic blacks under 65 are 31 percent higher than among whites of the same age. Overall, the report found that men have a 40 out of 100 chance of developing cancer during their lifetime compared to 38 out of 100 for women. On a positive note, a “substantial proportion” of cancers could be prevented, including all of those caused by tobacco use and certain unhealthy behaviors. The report noted:[3]
“According to a recent study by American Cancer Society epidemiologists, at least 42% of newly diagnosed cancers in the US – about 729,000 cases in 2018 – are potentially avoidable, including 19% that are caused by smoking and 18% that are caused by a combination of excess body weight, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and poor nutrition.”
Other cancers can be prevented via early screening, particularly colorectal and cervical cancers, while screening can also help detect some cancers, like breast, colon, rectum, cervix and lung, in the early stages, when treatment is easier and more effective. Being aware of changes in your breasts, skin, mouth, eyes and other body areas — and getting them checked out by your doctor promptly — can also help with early cancer detection and cure.
Improvements in treatment, along with earlier diagnosis, has led to increased 5-year relative survival rates for all cancers (by 20 percent among whites and 24 percent among blacks). Overall, as of January 2016, more than 15.5 million Americans were living with a history of cancer in the U.S., most of them who were diagnosed many years before and had no current evidence of the disease.[4]
Sources
1. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians January 4, 2018
2. The ASCO Post January 8, 2018
3. American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2018
4. American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2018
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