MeteoWeb
Mortality for cancer in the USA continues to decline, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual report. At the same time, however, new cases are increasing and, in 2024, they are expected to exceed the numbers for the first time. two million. Another worrying fact is thelowering of the average age at diagnosis, with cases in the 50 to 64 age group rising from 25% in 1995 to 30% in 2020. The report confirms that over the past 30 years, the risk of dying from cancer in the US has steadily decreased and about 4 millions of lives have been saved thanks to these advances. Nonetheless, 611 thousand deaths are expected in 2024, 1,600 per day.
“We are encouraged by the continued decline in cancer mortality due to reductions in smoking, early detection of some cancers and improvements in treatment.”, said Rebecca Siegel, lead author of the report. “However, as a nation, we have abandoned cancer prevention and incidence continues to increase for many common cancers.” The aging of the population is also decisive for the increase in incidence.
Furthermore, some tumors are changing their face. This is the case of colorectal cancer, which is becoming increasingly common in the under 50s. “Colorectal cancer has gone from being the fourth leading cause of cancer death in both younger men and women twenty years ago to first in men and second in women.”, we read in a note from the American Cancer Society. “Breast cancer is the leading cause in women under 50 with 2,251 deaths in 2021.”
Among the positive trends photographed by the report, there is sharp reduction in cervical cancer in young women between 20 and 30 years old, the first to have received the papillomavirus vaccine. After years of increase, the incidence of tumors in younger children seems to have stabilized, while the increase in adolescents continues.
Continue reading on MeteoWeb