50 Year Anniversary Of War On Cancer

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


It was fifty years ago when President Richard Nixon declared a war against cancer when he signed the National Cancer Act while simultaneously increasing funding for cancer research.  At the time, President Nixon said if we could put a man on the moon in eight years, we should be able to do the same with curing cancer.  Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.  About 600K Americans still die from cancer each year and we are a long ways from finding an outright cure.  However, that’s not to say that progress hasn’t been made.  Over the past 50 years, death rates dropped by 70% for childhood cancers, 56% for colorectal cancer and 39% for female breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.  Sadly, painful cancers like pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma—a horrible kind of brain cancer—remain nearly as deadly as they were during Nixon’s rein.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/12/23/cancer-war-screening-genetics/6430979001/?gnt-cfr=1

American Cancer Society Reports Mixed Results

Two people in a hospital room with masks on


A recent report from the American Cancer Society which measures cancer cases and deaths through 2018 showed mixed results. U.S. cancer death rates for men, women and communities of color are falling.  However, obesity and unequal access to care provide a blueprint for a reversal of this trend. Death rates for lung cancer and melanoma improved quite a bit, but recent progress on breast and colon cancer deaths slowed and prostate cancer death rates flattened after years of decline.  “The decrease in smoking is a huge reason,†said Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and former chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society.  “Keep in mind it is not just lung cancer, but smoking causes 18 different cancers,†he said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/07/08/cancer-death-rates-drop-obesity-drive-disease/7880844002/

Cancer Screening Is Not Just For Seniors


The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending lowering the recommended age for colon and rectal cancer screening from age 50 to age 45.  Colorectal cancer recently took the life of “Black Panther†movie star Chadwick Boseman.  He was just 43.  Under the Affordable Care Act, most health insurers would be required to cover the additional screening after the recommendation becomes final, following a one month public comment period.