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2007-9-3 23:38:03 |
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Fewer people in the United State died of cancer between 2004 and 2003 - the second consecutive year in which the cancer deaths were seen on the decline, according to a newly released report by the American Cancer Society. The decline is a tiny fraction of the total cancer deaths (about 0.5 percent) and cancer is still the most feared cause of deaths in the U.S. 45 percent of men and 38 percent of women are expected to develop cancer in their life time. And one in four people will die of cancer, according to the report published in the January/February issue of CA ¨C A cancer Journal for Clinicians. Specifically, there were 3,014 fewer deaths from cancer in 2004 compared to the previous year. The decline in cancer mortality was seen in four major cancers including colorectal cancer (1,110 men and 1,014 women), female breast (666), prostate (552), and male lung (333). In comparison, there were 369 fewer deaths between 2003 and 2002 than the previous statistical year. Although the decline in mortality was moderately small considering the total number of cancer deaths, the drop of deaths from certain cancers was obviously more significant than other cancers. The American Cancer Society said, according to the New York Times, that the decline was largely due to the reductions in smoking and improved detection and treatment of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. "This second consecutive drop in the number of actual cancer deaths, much steeper than the first, shows last year's historic drop was no fluke," says John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. "The hard work towards preventing cancer, catching it early, and making treatment more effective is paying dramatic, lifesaving dividends." But the new good new may not be good enough. In contrast to the decline in deaths from the noted cancers, more deaths from other types of cancer were seen in 2004 than the previous year. These cancers included liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and esophageal cancer in men. In addition, there was no sign that lung cancer in women was on the decline and the death rate remained much the same as the year before, according to the report. The report authors from the American Cancer Association suggest that cigarette smoking is the cause for the constant incidence of lung cancer in women as their smoking peaked during the past twenty years. Prostate cancer incidence continues to rise and the authors attribute that to increased screening through prostate-specific antigen testing. Ahmedin Jemal and colleagues at the American Cancer Society write in their report that ¡°While the absolute number of cancer deaths decreased for the second consecutive year in the United States (by more than 3,000 from 2003 to 2004) and much progress has been made in reducing mortality rates and improving survival, cancer still accounts for more deaths than heart disease in persons under age 85 years.¡± They also point out that ¡°Cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 40 to 79 years and among men aged 60 to 79 years. When age-adjusted death rates are considered, cancer is the leading cause of death among men and women under age 85 years. A total of 473,535 people under age 85 years died from cancer in the United States in 2004, compared with 414,526 deaths from heart disease.¡± They estimate based on 86 percent of the U.S. population that in 2007, 1, 444,920 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and 559,650 people will die of cancer, 289,550 men and 270,100 women. In comparison, there were 553,888 cancer deaths in 2004 and 556,902 deaths in the year before, according to the report. Specifically in 2007, invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 178,480 women and 40,910 are expected to die of the disease. Prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 218,890 men and 27,050 will die of the disease. Colorectal cancer will be detected in 112,340 people and 52,180 will die of the disease. And lung cancer will be diagnosed in 213,380 people and 160,390 will die of the malignancy. But all the major four types of cancer were seen on the slight decline in 2004. Cancer incidence varies from one race to another, according to the report. African Americans are most vulnerable to cancer while Hispanics and American Asians have lowest incidence of almost all types of cancer. Caucasian Americans are between the both groups with regard to incidence of cancer. However, Hispanics are more susceptible to cervical cancer, liver cancer, and stomach cancer than whites. These cancers are believed to be associated with infections,. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, on the other hand, have the highest incidence and death rates from liver and stomach cancers, the report says. African Americans have a higher mortality rate than whites for most major cancers including colorectal cancer, lung cancer in men, breast cancer in women, and prostate cancer. The mortality rates of all the cancers were highest in blacks than other ethnic groups except for breast cancer in women. The cancer death rate in black men was 38 percent higher than white men whereas the death rate in black women was 17 percent higher than white women. According to the report, the lifetime probability for a man to develop cancer is 45 percent compared to 38 percent for women. The American Cancer Society says in its statement that about 30 percent of cancer is caused by smoking and other forms of tobacco. And another 30 percent is linked to nutrition and physical activity, indicating that the majority of cancer cases can be avoided if people follow a healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet. For more information, visit the full report at |
