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发帖数: 29846 | 1 American Cancer Society report finds continued progress in reducing cancer
mortality
More than a million deaths avoided since rates began to drop
ATLANTA – January 4, 2012 – The American Cancer Society's annual cancer
statistics report shows that between 2004 and 2008, overall cancer incidence
rates declined by 0.6% per year in men and were stable in women, while
cancer death rates decreased by 1.8% per year in men and by 1.6% per year in
women.
The report, Cancer Statistics 2012, published online ahead of print in CA: A
Cancer Journal for Clinicians says over the past 10 years of available data
(1999-2008), cancer death rates have declined in men and women of every
racial/ethnic group with the exception of American Indians/Alaska Natives,
among whom rates have remained stable. The reduction in overall cancer death
rates since 1990 in men and 1991 in women translates to the avoidance of
more than a million total deaths from cancer during that time period.
Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer
cases and deaths expected in the United States in the current year and
compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival
based on incidence data from the National Cancer Institute and Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, as reported by the North American
Association of Central Cancer Registries, and mortality data from the
National Center for Health Statistics. Cancer Facts & Figures 2012, the
report's accompanying consumer publication, includes a Special Section each
year, which in 2012 focuses on cancers with increasing incidence rates.
Other highlights include
A total of 1,638,910 new cancer cases and 577,190 deaths from cancer are
projected to occur in the United States in 2012.
The most rapid declines in death rates occurred among African American
and Hispanic men (2.4% and 2.3% per year, respectively).
Death rates continue to decline for all four major cancer sites (lung,
colorectum, breast, and prostate), with lung cancer accounting for almost 40
% of the total decline in men and breast cancer accounting for 34% of the
total decline in women.
About 1,024,400 cancer deaths (732,900 in men and 291,500 in women) were
averted from 1991/1992 through 2008 as a result of 18 years of consistent
declines in cancer death rates.
Cancer incidence and death rates vary considerably among racial and
ethnic groups. For all cancer sites combined, African American men have a 15
% higher incidence rate and a 33% higher death rate than white men, whereas
African American women have a 6% lower incidence rate but a 16% higher death
rate than white women.
Compared with whites, African American men and women have poorer
survival once cancer is diagnosed. The 5-year relative survival is lower in
African Americans than in whites for every stage of diagnosis for nearly
every type of cancer.
Cancer incidence and death rates are lower in other racial and ethnic
groups than in whites and African Americans for all cancer sites combined
and for the four most common cancer sites. However, incidence and death
rates for cancers related to infectious agents, such as those of the uterine
cervix, stomach, and liver, are generally higher in minority populations
than in whites.
Further progress can be accelerated by applying existing cancer control
knowledge across all segments of the population, with an emphasis on those
groups in the lowest socioeconomic bracket.
The Special Section, which is also published as a standalone article in CA,
finds that despite declines in incidence rates for the most common cancers,
the incidence of several cancers has increased in the past decade, including
cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid, and kidney and melanoma of the
skin, as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma and certain subsites of
oropharyngeal cancer associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Researchers led by Edgar P. Simard, PhD MPH, examined trends in incidence
rates from 1999 through 2008 for those seven cancers to detail changes by
race, sex, and age.
They found rates for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer, esophageal
adenocarcinoma, and melanoma increased only in whites, except for esophageal
adenocarcinoma, which also increased in Hispanic men. Liver cancer rates
increased in white, black, and Hispanic men and in black women only. In
contrast, incidence rates for thyroid and kidney cancers increased in all
racial/ethnic groups except American Indian/Alaska Native men.
Increases in incidence rates by age were steepest for liver and HPV-related
oropharyngeal cancers among those ages 55 to 64 years and for melanoma in
those aged 65 years and older. Notably, for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer
in men and thyroid cancer in women, incidence rates were higher in those
ages 55 to 64 years than in those aged 65 years and older. Rates increased
for both local and advanced stage diseases for most cancer sites.
The reasons for these increasing trends are not entirely known. Part of the
increase (for esophageal adenocarcinoma and cancers of the pancreas, liver,
and kidney) may be linked to the increasing prevalence of obesity as well as
increases in early detection practices for some cancers. The special
section says these rising trends will exacerbate the growing cancer burden
associated with population expansion and aging and that additional research
is needed to determine their underlying cause.
These annual reports have become critical tools for scientists, public
health experts, and policymakers in assessing the current burden of cancer
to help prioritize efforts to fight the disease. The estimates are some of
the most widely quoted cancer statistics in the world. The Society's leading
team of epidemiologic researchers compiles and analyzes incidence and
mortality data to estimate the number of new cancer cases and deaths for the
current year nationwide and in individual states.
The expected numbers of new cancer cases and cancer deaths should be
interpreted with caution because these estimates are based on statistical
models and may vary considerably from year to year. Not all changes in
cancer trends can be captured by modeling techniques and sometimes the model
may be too sensitive to recent trends, resulting in over- or under-
estimates. For these reasons, the estimates should not be compared from year
-to-year to determine trends; age-standardized cancer incidence and death
rates are the best way to monitor changes in cancer occurrence and death.
Despite these limitations, the American Cancer Society's estimates of the
number of new cancer cases and deaths in the current year provide reasonably
accurate estimates of the burden of new cancer cases and deaths in the
United States. Such estimates will assist in continuing efforts to reduce
the public health burden of cancer. |
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