For all cancers combined, the five-year overall survival rate increased from 49% in the mid-1970s to nearly 70% from 2011 to 2017, the most recent years for which data are available. The overall age-adjusted cancer death rate continues to decline, with declines between 1991 and 2019 translating into nearly 3.5 million deaths averted, the association said. Reductions in smoking and improvements in early detection and treatment of cancer are driving the change, according to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2022, released Wednesday. Lisa Coussens, president of the association, said in a statement that part of the credit goes to an investment in research — both for treatments and for understanding the disease.
“Targeted therapies, immunotherapy and other new therapeutic approaches that are applied clinically come from fundamental discoveries in basic science,” he said. “Investment in cancer science, as well as supporting science education at all levels, is absolutely essential to drive the next wave of discoveries and accelerate progress.” For example, from Aug. 1 to July 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved eight cancer drugs, expanded the use of 10 previously approved drugs to treat new types of cancer, and approved two diagnostic imaging agents, Cousins ​​said at a news conference. on Wednesday. Increased funding for cancer research is the cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s relaunched Cancer Moonshot initiative. Biden — who lost a son to brain cancer — said this month that his goal is to cut cancer death rates in the United States by at least half over the next 25 years. “Cancer doesn’t discriminate between red and blue. You don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. Beating cancer is something we can do together,” said Biden, who spearheaded the initiative when he was vice president under Obama . The new report urges Congress to fully fund and support Biden’s goal to “end cancer as we know it.” “The rekindled Cancer Moonshot will provide an important framework for improving cancer prevention strategies, increasing screening and early detection of cancer, reducing cancer disparities and promoting new lifesaving treatments for cancer patients,” it says. the report, adding that “actions will transform cancer care, increase survival and bring life-saving treatments to the millions of people whose lives are touched by cancer.” Although nearly 3.5 million cancer deaths were averted between 1991 and 2019, more than 600,000 people in the U.S. are still expected to die from cancer this year, according to the association. “In the United States alone, the number of new cancer cases diagnosed each year is expected to reach nearly 2.3 million by 2040,” the report states. About 40 percent of cancer cases in the U.S. are attributable to preventable risk factors, including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of physical exercise and obesity, according to the report.
However, there are also ongoing challenges, such as health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minorities and barriers to health care, such as limited health insurance coverage and living in rural areas. In a taped statement at the press conference, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams said she learned after her mother’s death from cancer that “health care in America is not yet a human right.” “We have two health care systems in this country: one for people who can afford preventive services and quality treatment, and one for everyone else,” said Williams, D-Georgia. Overturning Roe v. Wade is also expected to affect cancer care by limiting health care options for pregnant women with cancer, the report said. “With the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which ended the constitutional right to abortion, there is uncertainty about how a particular cancer treatment may lead to termination of pregnancy. This uncertainty may prohibit for some doctors to prescribe drugs or the timely delivery of other health services because of the potential legal consequences for both the doctor and the mother,” according to the report. The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on cancer in the US, with nearly 10 million breast, colon and prostate cancer screenings missed in 2020. The report offers recommendations for building on progress and regaining momentum. “Progress to end cancer means more birthdays, more Christmases, more graduations and everyday moments for families everywhere,” Williams said.