Number of Cancer Survivors Growing According to New Report
There are 9.8 million cancer survivors in the United States, according to a new
report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). A cancer survivor is defined as anyone
who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the
balance of his or her life. The findings are published in the June 25 issue of
CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, "Cancer Survivorship -
United States, 1971 - 2001."
"Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart
disease. The number of cancer survivors in this country has increased steadily
over the past three years for all cancers combined. We expect the number of
survivors to increase as improvements are made in cancer detection, treatment
and care and as the population ages," said HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson.
The report was produced by NCI in partnership with CDC. The authors used
incidence and follow-up data from NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End
Results (SEER) program to estimate annual cancer prevalence - the number of
people living following a diagnosis of cancer - and trends in cancer
survivorship.
The data show that:
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64 percent of adults whose cancer is diagnosed today can expect to be living in
five years;
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Breast cancer survivors make up the largest group of cancer survivors (22
percent) followed by prostate cancer survivors (17 percent) and colorectal
cancer survivors (11 percent);
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The majority (61 percent) of cancer survivors are aged 65 and older;
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An estimated one of every six people over age 65 is a cancer survivor;
-
Seventy-nine percent of childhood cancer survivors will be living five years
after diagnosis and nearly 75 percent will be living 10 years following
diagnosis.
"The findings in this report have important implications for both the public and
health practitioners. There is a growing need to promote health and ensure the
social, psychological and economic well-being of cancer survivors and their
families. In the past, public health programs concentrated on early detection
and prevention of cancer. However, the focus has now expanded to include cancer
survivorship, transforming survivorship research into practice, and developing
clinical guidelines to provide attentive follow-up and health promotion to
survivors," said Dr. Loria Pollack, CDC medical officer.
CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control is supporting states, tribes and
tribal organizations to develop and incorporate survivorship priorities into
their comprehensive cancer control plans. CDC is also working with national
organizations to promote education, awareness and community programs that offer
services and support for cancer survivors.
In response to the growing number of cancer survivors in the United States, many
organizations are involved in survivorship issues. Recently, CDC and the Lance
Armstrong Foundation released a National Plan for Cancer Survivorship: Advancing
Public Health Strategies. Also, NCI and the President's Cancer Panel
released a report, Living Beyond Cancer: Finding a New Balance, earlier
this month.
"Issues faced by cancer survivors include maintaining optimal physical and
mental health, preventing disability and late-effects related to cancer and its
treatment, and ensuring social and economic well-being for themselves and their
family," said Dr. Julia Rowland, director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship
at NCI. She adds, "NCI takes these factors into consideration when conducting
research to identify, examine and prevent or control adverse effects associated
with cancer. We are working to enhance survivors' quality of life."
For a copy of the MMWR article, visit CDC's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr.
The two cancer survivorship reports are available at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivorship/index.htm#plan (National Action Plan)
and http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/ADVISORY/pcp/pcp03-04rpt/Survivorship.pdf
(President's Cancer Panel Report).
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