The medical director of the UVA Cancer Center’s Colorectal Cancer Screening Program is encouraging people to get screened.
Breakthroughs in cancer prevention and cancer treatment have lowered cancer death rates in the United States, but the rate of death from cancer has declined, especially among people under age 50, according to the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual report. It has been revealed that the number of cancer cases is increasing.
“Since the 1990s, fewer people are actually dying from cancer…The overall cancer death rate has fallen by one-third since 1991, which means that around 4.1 million people across the United States That means they are dying from the disease,” said medical leader Dr. Cynthia Yoshida. UVA Cancer Center Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.
Among the advances are a 42% reduction in breast cancer deaths over the past 30 years and the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of 16 new treatments for breast cancer in the past 10 years.
Deaths from cancer are also decreasing due to improvements in cancer prevention, including screening, early detection, and lower smoking rates.
However, cancer incidence is increasing, including among people under 50. Researchers cite a number of factors, including unhealthy diet, obesity, chemicals in the environment, antibiotics, sedentary behavior and increased alcohol intake.
“It’s not just colorectal cancer that is increasing among young people, but also breast cancer, stomach cancer, and some blood cancers,” says Professor Yoshida. “What this shows is that Gen X and Millennials have higher rates of cancer than previous generations and are even more likely to develop cancer than their grandparents.”
To prevent cancer, Yoshida encouraged people to pay attention to signs and symptoms that may indicate cancer and to participate in recommended cancer screenings. These include breast cancer screening, which is recommended for people who turn 40, and colorectal cancer screening, which is recommended for people who turn 45.
Sign up here to get the latest news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox.
© 2024 WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not directed to users within the European Economic Area.
