June 1 is National Cancer Survivors Day, an annual celebration of life for those who have survived cancer. It’s also a day of inspiration for those who have recently been diagnosed, a gathering of support for families, and an outreach to the community.
Everybody knows somebody whose life has been touched with cancer. There are currently about 13.7 million cancer survivors in the United States, and that number is expected to grow to 18 million by 2022. That’s because cancer survivor rates continue to improve. Cancer research is developing more effective tools to fight the disease, from smart drugs that directly attack cancer cells without damaging healthy ones to gene therapy that actually alters the genes inside the body’s cells to fight the disease.
Consider these hopeful statistics:
The number of deaths caused by cancer is declining. The cancer death rate among men decreased almost 20 percent from 1990-2005 and 11.4 percent among women. That means that 650,000 lives were saved during this 15-year period.
- Because the cancer death rate continues to drop, 100,000 people are alive each year who would have died had cancer rates not declined.
- From 1996-2004, the five-year cancer survival rate was 66 percent, compared to just 50 percent in the mid-1970s.
- In men, decreases in the death rate from lung, prostate and colorectal cancer account for almost 80 percent of the decline. For example, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer has improved from 66 percent in 1975 to over 99 percent in 2005.
- In women, the decrease in death rates for breast and colorectal cancer are the most significant. For example, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer has improved from 75 percent in 1975 to over 90 percent in 2005.
Sources: National Cancer Survivors Day, American Cancer Association, National Cancer Institute