Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Caitlin Jenney, (303) 724-1520, Caitlin.Jenney@uchsc.edu
Cancer Rates Drop but Prevention Remains the Goal
Midpoint of 23-year study offers promise in battle to beat cancer
AURORA, Colo. (Nov. 9, 2007) - Research tracking cancer rates shows fewer people are contracting the disease, offering hope that Americans can one day eliminate cancer as a major threat to their health. The findings reveal that overall cancer incidence rates were eight percent lower in 2004 than they were in 1992. But although cancer rates are dropping, prevention is still necessary, especially in the areas of tobacco control and obesity. The report, whose lead authors are from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, is published in the November/December issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
"If we want to increase the progress we're seeing, we will need not only new understandings of the factors that can lower the risk of getting cancer, but also stronger efforts to act on what we already know about cancer prevention," said Rebecca Sedjo, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, and principal author of the report. "In particular, we need to continue to reduce tobacco use and start reversing the epidemic of obesity."
In 1998, the volunteer Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society set a bold challenge goal for the United States to reduce cancer incidence rates by 25 percent between 1992 and 2015. The new report is an analysis of progress toward that goal through 2004, the midpoint of the project. It shows that incidence rates have been dropping 0.6 percent per year since 1992; the year cancer incidence peaked in the United States.
The report finds that while declining trends have been observed for some cancers, others have remained constant or increased over the 12-year period. For example, drops in incidence were seen for cancers of the prostate, lung in men, colorectum, ovary, oral cavity, stomach and cervix. A marked decline for invasive breast cancer in women began in 1999, while incidence rates for lung cancer in women have stabilized in recent years. No appreciable downturn has been seen for multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and cancers of the corpus uteri, bladder, pancreas and brain. Cancer incidence rates have increased for melanoma and cancers of the kidney, liver, thyroid and esophagus.
The authors note that drops in tobacco use and recent declines in the use of certain hormone therapies have contributed to incidence reductions in several cancers and will likely result in steeper drops in the decade to come.
"There's no doubt that we are beating cancer," said Tim Byers, MD, deputy director of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center. "There's obviously still work to be done but this research proves we are making significant progress."
However, the authors warn that the positive changes are somewhat offset by the rise of obesity, which contributes to higher risk for many types of cancers. Another point of concern is that although decreasing trends were similar by race, incidence rates of cancer continue to be higher among African Americans than among Caucasians.
The greatest declines have occurred among men and among those aged 65 years and older.
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
The University of Colorado Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Rocky Mountain Region. Headquartered primarily at the University of Colorado Denver, its four-part mission is excellence in cancer research, treatment, prevention and education. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uccc.info or the University of Colorado Denver Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news/newsrelease.
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