Fewer U.S. women dying of lung cancer -study
Thursday, 31 March 2011 20:32
Last Updated: 2011-04-01 11:19:26 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - Lung cancerCancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. The two main types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope. death rates among women in the United States fell for the first time in four decades, trailing a similar decline in
purchase cialis that started a decade ago, U.S. cancer experts said on Thursday.
The lag reflects smoking trends among women, whose rate of smoking peaked later in the last century than U.S.
cialis, according to an annual report on cancer by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and others.
"I think it's about time," Dr. Edward Kim of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was not involved with the report, said in a telephone interview.
"When you look at the data, for years the biggest concern has always been the mortalityThe state of being mortal (destined to die). Mortality also refers to the death rate, or the number of deaths in a certain group of people in a certain period of time. Mortality may be reported for people who have a certain disease, live in one area of the country, or who are of a certain gender, age, or ethnic group. rate for women with lung cancerCancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. The two main types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope. . That number had just kept steadily increasing," Kim said.
"I think it is a reflection that finally we are beginning to make a bit of headway," Kim said.
Lung cancerCancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages. The two main types are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. These types are diagnosed based on how the cells look under a microscope. deaths among women fell about 1 percent per year between 2003 and 2007, reflecting an overall continued decline in cancer rates and deaths, a trend that began in early 1990s as early detection and better prevention and treatments have helped more people survive their cancers.
"The observed decreases in overall cancer incidence and death in nearly all racial and ethnic groups are highly encouraging," researchers wrote in the report, which was also conducted by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New cancer diagnoses among both men and women fell about 1 percent a year between 2003 and 2007, and death rates fell an average 1.6 percent a year during the same period.
But the rate of decline will likely be overshadowed by the growing numbers of people in the United States who are over age 65, a group that is expected to reach 71 million people in 2030, twice the number reported in the 2000 census. Elderly people are more susceptible to cancer.
AGING POPULATION
"Even with declining cancer incidence rates, the absolute number of individuals diagnosed with cancer will continue to increase because of these populations," the researchers said.
That will lead to higher demand for cancer care, they said.
Among men, new cases of liverA large organ located in the upper abdomen. The liver cleanses the blood and aids in digestion by secreting bile. , kidneyOne of a pair of organs in the abdomen. Kidneys remove waste from the blood (as urine), produce erythropoietin (a substance that stimulates red blood cell production), and play a role in blood pressure regulation. and pancreatic cancerA disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Also called exocrine cancer. and melanomaA form of cancer that begins in melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin). It may begin in a mole (skin melanoma), but can also begin in other pigmented tissues, such as in the eye or in the intestines. rose between 2003 and 2007, and rates of death for three of these cancers -- liverA large organ located in the upper abdomen. The liver cleanses the blood and aids in digestion by secreting bile. and pancreatic cancerA disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Also called exocrine cancer. and melanomaA form of cancer that begins in melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin). It may begin in a mole (skin melanoma), but can also begin in other pigmented tissues, such as in the eye or in the intestines. -- also rose.
In women, new cases of melanomaA form of cancer that begins in melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin). It may begin in a mole (skin melanoma), but can also begin in other pigmented tissues, such as in the eye or in the intestines. , leukemiaCancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream. , kidneyOne of a pair of organs in the abdomen. Kidneys remove waste from the blood (as urine), produce erythropoietin (a substance that stimulates red blood cell production), and play a role in blood pressure regulation. , thyroid and pancreatic cancerA disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Also called exocrine cancer. rose in the 2003-2007 period, while cancer deaths in women rose among those with pancreatic and liver cancerPrimary liver cancer is cancer that forms in the tissues of the liver. Secondary liver cancer is cancer that spreads to the liver from another part of the body. . More women also died from uterine cancerCancer that forms in tissues of the uterus (small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis in which a baby grows). Two types of uterine cancer are endometrial cancer (cancer that begins in cells lining the uterus) and uterine sarcoma (a rare cancer that begins in muscle or other tissues in the uterus). in the 2003-2007 period, after falling from 1975 through 1997.
Cancer death rates in children continued a decline that started in the 1970s, but between 1992 and 2007, there was a slight uptick -- about 0.6 percent a year -- in the number of new cancer cases in children.
Black men and women had the highest death rates overall but also the largest declines in death rates from 1998 through 2007. For new cancers, black men and white women had the highest overall number of new cases.
The report dovetails with one released earlier this month that found nearly 12 million people in the United States are cancer survivors, almost four times as many as 40 years ago, reflecting big strides in cancer detection and treatment and the effect of an aging U.S. population.
The American Cancer Society estimates there were 1.5 million new cancer cases in the United States in 2010 and 569,490 deaths.
Copyright © 2011 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Fewer U.S. women dying of lung cancer -study
