New statistics are promising, but more is needed.
By Vinay Jain, MD
Well, the numbers are out from the American Cancer Society and they
are good—and bad, depending on how you read them. Overall,
cancer deaths declined in 2003 over the previous year for the first
time in 70 years, which is good news if you are male. The statistics
actually showed an increase of 409 in women and a decrease of 778
in men, resulting in a net decrease of 369. The actual death rate
from all cancers combined has been dropping since 1991, but since
the numbers are adjusted for size and age of population, it took
until 2003 for the decrease to become large enough to show an actual
reduction.
So, while we celebrate the first overall decrease in
cancer deaths since cancer statistics began to be collected in
1930, we need to look below the surface at
some other facts.
- The ACS estimates
1,399,790 new cases of cancer in 2006 and 564,830 deaths.
- Lung cancer will account
for an estimated 162,460 cancer deaths in 2006.
- Tobacco use continues
to cause the highest number of cancer deaths (170,000 deaths a
year), but progress has been made in stopping the habit and preventing
young people from starting. (The complete Cancer Facts & Figures
2006 report can be found at www.cancer.org/statistics.)
We applaud the drop in deaths, but
with the knowledge that much more needs to be done to keep this disease from
continuing its destructive march. In this issue
you can read about advances that may be part of the next positive statistic.
This issue begins with some exciting news about a drug that may
greatly impact the survival rate for a certain type of breast cancer.
Of
the estimated 212,920
breast cancer cases this year, around 25 percent of those patients will be
able to take Herceptin, a drug that is remarkably successful in preventing
recurrence
in women whose tumors produce an overabundance of HER2. Identifying faulty
genes means new targeted approaches to individual cancers that reflect cancer
treatment
of the future.
You’ll also read about advancements in kidney cancer on
the heels of two recent drug approvals as well as how to navigate the new
Medicare Part D drug
coverage plan. Another feature solidifies the term “co-survivor” in
the cancer lexicon. The term, used in other diseases, took hold last year
when the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation created a recognition program
for
those who travel with patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
Editor-at-large
Kathy LaTour looks at survivors and co-survivors for whom cancer served
as a catalyst for a change in their lives, while in another
article
she applies her own experiences to help patients and survivors handle the
pressure to remain positive. Staff writer Elizabeth Whittington looks into
the reasons
behind chronic pain and how to get relief, and a daughter takes us with
her to
the waiting room where she waited while her father received treatment.
We are excited to announce
there will be a special fifth edition of CURE this summer as we
partner with the Lance Armstrong Foundation for a look at survivorship.
And we are making some changes to the 2006 Patient & Survivor
Forums, so visit www.curetoday.com/patientmeeting
for details and watch CURE’s website for updates.
Vinay Jain, MD
Editor-in-Chief
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