Cancer death rate reduced by 23 percent in 20 years
Cancers are often deadly, but the chances of survival after a cancer diagnosis in the past decades have improved significantly. For example, in the United States, the death toll from cancer has fallen by more than 20 percent over the last two decades, the American Cancer Society reports based on its latest annual statistics.
According to the American Cancer Society, the cancer mortality rate fell from its peak in 1991 by 23 percent by 2012. More than 1.7 million deaths were thus avoided during this period due to improved preventive medical care, diagnostic and treatment options. The latest figures from "Cancer Statistics, 2016" have been published in the journal "CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians".
Thanks to significantly improved diagnostic options, cancer can often be detected early on, increasing the chances of successful treatment. (Image: sudok1 / fotolia.com)Nearly 600,000 cancer deaths in 2016 in the US
According to the experts, a total of 1,685,210 new cancer cases and 595,690 cancer deaths are expected in the US in 2016. During the last four years for which data are available (2009 to 2012), rates of new cases have decreased by 3.1% per year for men and have remained approximately the same for women. Nevertheless, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, lung, colon, prostate and breast cancer continue to be the most common fatal cancers. Nearly half of cancer deaths are attributable to these cancers and one in four cancer deaths is caused solely by lung cancer. In men, the most commonly diagnosed cancers were prostate, lung and colorectal cancer, and in women it was breast, lung and colorectal cancer. Breast cancer alone is responsible for 29 percent of all new cancer cases, according to the "American Cancer Society".
Improved prevention and treatment
A significant proportion of declining cancer death rates, according to the experts, the improved screening methods. For example, in colonoscopy, precancerous growths could be removed so that no tumors develop. In adults between the ages of 50 and 75, the use of colonoscopy increased from 19 percent in 2000 to 55 percent in 2013. The death toll for colorectal cancer decreased by about three percent between 2003 and 2012. However, despite the generally positive trend, some types of cancer did not show any improvement in death rates. There was also a marked increase in various types of leukemia and cancers of the tongue, tonsils, small intestine, liver, pancreas, kidney and thyroid.
Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death
"We are pleased to see cancer death rates continue to decline. But the fact that cancer is still the top cause of death in many populations remains a vivid reminder that the fight is not over yet, "said Gary Reedy of the American Cancer Society. Cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases, some of which can be treated and others not. While the risk of dying from the disease for an average American is significantly lower than at any other time in history. But all too often cancer remains the cause of a shortened life, pain and suffering. In addition, cancer is the second most common cause of death in children aged one to 14 years in the United States. According to Reedy, in 2016 an estimated 10,380 new children will contract cancer and 1,250 will die of cancer. This makes it clear that further action is needed. (Fp)