“There has never been a time of greater excitement in the cancer field.”
Those words kick off an exciting new report on progress being made in cancer. Still, the number of people getting cancer is also rising, and so are the costs. $80 billion a year is spent on caring for cancer patients. But here is the good news:
- Deaths from cancer are down 26% in the years between 1991 and 2015.
- In the past year, 22 new treatments for cancer have been approved. For some perspective on just how amazing the progress is, only a few hundred cancer therapies have ever received government approval.
- The percentage of American adults who smoke cigarettes, obviously a leading cause of cancer, has gone from 42% in 1965 to 14% today.
New Treatments
As for the new treatments for cancer, there have been major developments in immunotherapy, targeted radiotherapy, and other targeted therapies that are really paving the way for individualized medicine. “The increasing number of new FDA approved drugs for cancer represents tremendous progress in research-driven scientific discovery,” Dr. Robert Vonderheide, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, tells SurvivorNet.“As an example, the FDA approvals this year of engineered T-cell therapies for patients with leukemia and lymphoma are real paradigm shifts for our patients – yet, based on critical, detailed research in immunology, gene therapy, and cancer biology – a 20-year overnight sensation,” says Dr. Vonderheide.
More Screening
There has also been significant progress in screening for cancer. The report said there has been a big increase in the percentage of U.S. adults up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening. For people with an average colon cancer risk, that means getting tested every 10 years starting at age 45. Over 67% of American adults 50 to 75 years of age are now complying with the screening guidelines.
Colorectal Screening
More Americans are getting screened for colorectal cancer
American Association for Cancer Research
of adults 50 to 75 years old are opting for screening such as colonoscopies
Dr. Inga Lennes, Medical Director of Ambulatory Services at Mass General Hospital Cancer Center, provided even more hope when asked for a comment on the new report. “Screening for cancer is evolving and as our sophistication with new techniques for characterizing cancer cells and even tumor components (like DNA) evolve, so will our testing for early cancers.”
Topics for Concern
But the report also notes some areas of concern. The number of new cancer cases in the United States is predicted to rise from more than 1.7 million in 2018 to almost 2.4 million by 2035, due largely to the increasing number of people age 65 and older.
The HPV Vaccine Controversy
Researchers also note that nearly all cases of cervical cancer, and many cases of oral and anal cancer, could be prevented by the HPV vaccine – yet less than half of teenagers in the U.S. are getting the vaccine. This is likely due to the controversy surrounding the vaccine, which health guidelines say should be given before a young person starts having sex.
“Some people say they’re concerned about it … they think it encourages people to be sexually active” says Dr. Jonathan Berek, director of the Stanford Women's Cancer. “That’s not true. It’s an anti-cancer vaccine. And second of all, there are no data to support that.”
Disparities in Cancer Treatment
Another area of concern is the significant disparities in treatment for cancer based on race, health insurance, gender, disability, geographic regions, and age. “Despite the significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, many groups continue to disproportionately suffer,” says Dr. Lannis Hall, a radiation oncologist at Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University, St. Louis. “African-American women have a 40% higher mortality from breast cancer; Hispanic children are 24% more likely to develop leukemia; and African-American men have a 2.4 times greater mortality from prostate cancer despite significant advances in treatment.
“As health care providers forge into the field of precision health … if we are not vigilant in improving access to care and securing broad participation in clinical trials, these amazing advances will lead to greater health inequity," Dr. Hall says.
Cost of Cancer Care
Cost was another area of concern in the report – both for the people paying for cancer treatment and for the U.S. as a whole. It is estimated that the direct medical costs of cancer care in the United States is more than $80 billion annually.
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