The results of a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicate that both diagnoses and deaths from common cancers, such as lung, breast and prostate, are declining. The drops have been especially dramatic with prostate cancer. *However*, there is some reason to believe that fewer men are getting PSA tests, and this decline in screening may account for fewer diagnoses of PC. So we can’t break out the champagne just yet.
I just saw Dr. Larry Norton, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, being interviewed about this on the PBS Newshour. While he was happy about the lower cancer stats, he expressed concern that not enough money is being spent on cancer research. As an example, he stated that in the U.S., six times more money is spent on soft drinks than on finding a cure! We must do better.
Here are some excerpts from an article in the New York Times today (“New Cases of Cancer Decline in the U.S.”, by Roni Caryn Rabin, November 25, 2008):
“The incidence of new cancer cases has been falling in recent years in the United States, the first time such an extended decline has been documented, researchers reported Tuesday. “Cancer diagnosis rates decreased by an average of 0.8 percent each year from 1999 to 2005, the last year for which data are available, according to an annual report by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and other scientific organizations.
“Death rates from cancer continued to decline as well, a trend that began some 15 years ago, the report also noted. It was published online in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
“Each year that you s