The American Cancer Society has happily announced that cancer deaths have declined for the second straight year. This is big news -- mostly because our population is growing and aging and it's entirely possible this could have led to an increase in cancer deaths. Not only is this not true, but the drop in deaths for this second year is eight times greater than the drop during the first year. Amazing.It's hard to imagine in light of this great news that there are still less hopeful statistics out there on the cancer front. But there are so many dimensions to this disease -- prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, survival -- that the numbers can vary tremendously depending on perspective.
From the perspective of diagnosis, one in two men and one in three women in America today will develop cancer during their lifetimes. These staggering statistics, based on data collected during 2001 through 2003, are detailed in a pivotal paper appearing in The Oncologist -- a monthly peer-reviewed journal for doctors devoted to cancer patient care.
Dr. Matthew Hayat and colleagues, who worked on this paper for the National Cancer Institute, reveal other worrisome numbers and facts.
It seems the number of new cancer patients is expected to more than double from the current 1.36 million in 2000 to almost 3 million in 2050. Five-year survival for all cancer stages combined ranges from as low as 16 percent for lung cancer patients to 100 percent for prostate cancer patients. And black Americans are reported to have the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates for men and women for all cancers combined.
So while less people are dying from cancer, diagnosis of the disease seems to be on the rise. Not exactly a perfect scenario -- but if science and research can keep up, perhaps those diagnosed with cancer will need to prepare not for death, but for the management of a chronic condition.
1. I know of someone who is going through her 2nd bout with cancer. She is strong and used healing herself with correct foods, meditation, not sure if she is going through chemo this time or not.
She has taught me self help, understanding & patience.
I myself am in stage 4 of Hep C and being constantly checked for liver cancer. I feel pretty wiped out physically. The symptoms are very much like that of cancer, and there is a very good chance this will take my life. What keeps me strong is thinking of Beth, and her strength. I Pray for her every night, and all of those who suffer from these dreadful diseases. Life is just not fair to some of us. What does not kill us makes us stronger? I'm not sure about that one. I just know there is to much suffering in this world today, without having to fight these dreadful diseases.
Sincerely, Jason
Posted at 1:56PM on Jan 20th 2007 by Jason Chambers