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CANCER INCIDENCE AND DEATH RATES ON THE DECLINE
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
http://www.nci.nih.gov/
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
Thursday, June 3, 2004
12:01 a.m. ET
CONTACT:
ACS: David Sampson - 213-368-8523
CDC: Press Office - 770-488-5131
NCI: Press Office - 301-496-6641
NAACCR: 217-698-0800, ext. 2
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE NATION FINDS CANCER INCIDENCE AND
DEATH RATES ON THE DECLINE: SURVIVAL RATES SHOW
SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT
The nation's leading cancer organizations report that
Americans' risk of getting and dying from cancer
continues to decline and survival rates for many
cancers continue to improve. The "Annual Report to the
Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2001*" finds
overall observed cancer incidence rates dropped 0.5
percent per year from 1991 to 2001, while death rates
from all cancers combined dropped 1.1 percent per year
from 1993 to 2001. According to the report's authors,
the new data reflect progress in prevention, early
detection, and treatment; however, not all segments of
the U.S. population have benefited equally from the
advances.
First issued in 1998, the "Annual Report to the
Nation" is a collaboration among the American Cancer
Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI),
and the North American Association of Central Cancer
Registries (NAACCR). It provides updated information
on cancer rates and trends in the United States.
"This new report clearly shows we've made considerable
gains in reducing the burden of cancer in the United
States," said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive
officer of the American Cancer Society. "The first
ever drop in lung cancer incidence rates in women is
remarkable proof that we are making a difference in
the number one cancer killer, and is powerful evidence
that our successful efforts must continue."
The percentage of patients who have survived more than
five years after being diagnosed with cancer has
increased over the past two decades. According to NCI
Director Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., "these
survival statistics are a reason for optimism, as they
show us that we are on the right track to reaching the
NCI Challenge Goal to eliminate the suffering and
death due to cancer. We are committed to even greater
advances in survivorship research at NCI. We are
directing and conducting research on long-term
follow-up of childhood cancer survivors, healthy
behaviors for all survivors, and unique issues faced
by cancer survivors from underserved populations."
Death rates from all cancers combined have been
decreasing since the early 1990s. Death rates
decreased for 11 of the top 15 cancers in men, and
eight of the top 15 cancers in women. Lung cancer
deaths rates among women leveled off for the first
time between 1995 and 2001, after continuously
increasing for many decades.
Among men, cancer incidence rates have recently
declined for seven of the top 15 cancer sites: lung,
colon, oral cavity, leukemia, stomach, pancreas, and
larynx. Incidence rates increased only for melanoma
and cancers of the prostate, kidney, and esophagus.
When a process known as delay adjustment is taken into
account, some of these trends change (please refer to
the Report to the Nation Q&A**, question #14, for an
explanation of delay adjustment).
For the first time, lung cancer incidence rates among
women are on the decline. Incidence rates decreased
for five additional cancers out of the top 15 in women
(colon, cervix, pancreas, ovary, and oral cavity).
Only breast, thyroid, bladder, and kidney cancer and
melanoma rates are rising among women.
This year's report highlights trends in cancer
survival by comparing five-year survival rates of
cancer patients diagnosed in two time periods:
1975-1979 and 1995-2000. Between those time periods,
survival substantially improved for most of the top 15
cancers in both men and women, and the top ten sites
in children.
For men, large gains in cancer survival rates (more
than 10 percent) were seen in cancers of the prostate,
colon and kidney, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma,
and leukemia. Modest gains (5 percent to 10 percent)
were found for cancers of the bladder, stomach, liver,
brain, and esophagus.
For women, large gains in cancer survival rates were
seen for colon, kidney, and breast cancers and
non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Modest gains were found for
bladder, oral cavity, stomach, brain, esophageal, and
ovarian cancers and melanoma and leukemia.
Limited survival improvement was noted for the most
fatal forms of cancer in adults including cancers of
the lung, pancreas, and liver, which are characterized
by late stage at diagnosis and relatively poor
survival rates even when these cancers are diagnosed
at a localized stage. There was also little or no gain
in several cancers that already have high survival
rates, including larynx, thyroid, and uterine cancers.
Childhood cancers showed some of the largest
improvements in cancer survival during the past 20
years, with an absolute survival rate increase of 20
percent in boys and 13 percent in girls. The current
five-year survival rate of over 75 percent confirms
substantial progress made since the early 1960s, when
childhood cancers were nearly always fatal.
"Cancer is a devastating disease that impacts so many
people. But the good news is there is hope and these
data show we are winning the battle as people with
cancer are living longer and more healthier lives than
ever before," said CDC Director Julie Gerberding, M.D.
"But we can't become complacent. We must renew our
efforts to make sure people make healthy choices to
prevent cancer, that they are properly screened for
cancer, and that they receive the appropriate
treatment when they have cancer."
The report identifies wide variations in survival
associated with race and ethnicity. In every racial
and ethnic population, with the exception of
Asian/Pacific Islander (API) women, the risk of cancer
death from all cancer sites combined was higher than
the risk of death for non-Hispanic white patients.
Black men were at higher risk of dying of 12 cancers
compared to white men, with the increased risk ranging
from 9 percent (lung cancer) to a high of 67 percent
(oral cavity). Black women experienced higher risks of
death from 12 cancers, with the increase ranging from
7 percent (lung cancer) to 82 percent (corpus uterus
and melanoma). Additionally, non-Hispanic white and
API patients tended to have higher survival rates than
other racial and ethnic groups except for patients
with brain cancer and leukemia.
"Increased efforts by NAACCR and its partners will
continue to expand information for a broader spectrum
of underserved populations, including not only racial
groups other than white and black, but also U.S.
Latinos, rural populations, and areas defined by
socioeconomic indicators," said NAACCR Director Holly
L. Howe, Ph.D. "With this information, we will be able
to more accurately address the cancer burden and
disparities in these populations."
The authors of the report emphasize that reaching all
segments of the population with high-quality
prevention, early detection, and treatment services
could reduce cancer incidence and mortality even
further. In addition, they point out that "leaders in
the scientific community forecast an era of
unprecedented progress in cancer research." For these
research advances to impact cancer incidence and death
rates, it will be critical that all partners with a
stake in impacting cancer control help to expedite the
translation of these research discoveries to
widespread and equitable delivery of preventive and
clinical services.
For more information, visit the following Web sites:
"Cancer" online:
http://interscience.wiley.com/cancer/report2004
ACS: http://www.cancer.org
CDC (Division of Cancer Prevention and Control):
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer
CDC (National Center for Health Statistics' mortality
report):
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/dvs/mortdata.htm
NAACCR: http://www.naaccr.org/
NCI: http://www.cancer.gov and the SEER Homepage:
http://www.seer.cancer.gov. Click on the icon
"1975-2001 Report to the Nation."
President's Cancer Panel report on survivorship
(issued
June 4, 2004):
http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/03-04rpt/survivorship.pdf
--------------------------------------------------
* The report was published online June 3, 2004, in
"Cancer". The article, "Annual Report to the Nation on
the Status of Cancer, 1975-2001, with a Special
Feature
Regarding Survival," will appear in the July 1, 2004,
print issue (Vol. 101, Issue 1). The authors of this
year's report are Ahmedin Jemal, Ph.D. (ACS), Limin X.
Clegg, Ph.D. (NCI), Elizabeth Ward, Ph.D. (ACS), Lynn
A.G. Ries, M.S. (NCI), Xiaocheng Wu, M.D. (NAACCR),
Patricia M. Jamison (CDC), Phyllis A. Wingo, Ph.D.
(CDC), Holly L. Howe, Ph.D. (NAACCR), Robert N.
Anderson, Ph.D. (CDC), and Brenda K. Edwards, Ph.D.
(NCI).
** Questions and Answers about this Report can be
found at
<http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/ReportNation2004QandA>
##
This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2004/nci-03.htm
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-- John
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Certified Health Physicist
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