A new report by the American Association for Cancer Research estimates that there are almost 14 million cancer survivors in the U.S., a number that is expect to rise by 31% to 18 million by 2022. On the surface the news is good--especially for a handful of specific types of cancer—but in digging deeper we find old and new challenges yet to overcome.

First the Good News

In addition to providing estimates of cancer survival trends, the report shows that survival is not uniform across cancer subtypes. Currently, women with breast cancer account for 22 percent of survivors, while men with prostate cancer make up 20 percent.

For patients with prostate cancer, we have a nearly 100 percent five-year survival rate, and breast cancer treatment has also greatly improved, with five-year survival rising from 75 percent in 1975 to almost 89 percent in 2012.

While people with lung cancer, the second most common cancer in terms of diagnosis, only represent 3 percent of survivors, new research suggests that newer screening procedures could avert 12,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Compared with traditional chest x-rays, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening reduced lung cancer deaths by 20% among current and former smokers age 55 to 74.

New Challenges

With earlier diagnosis and better treatments, the numbers of cancer survivors is rapidly increasing. Also, as the American population gets older, more cancer survivors can be expected. According to the report, by 2020, two-thirds of cancer survivors will be age 65 or older.

Taken together, these factors present new challenges for the healthcare community, including:

• Preventing or finding ways to better manage side effects of cancer treatment such as “chemo brain,” fatigue, early menopause, infertility, and liver problems.

• Treating older cancer patients who will likely have other coexisting health conditions.

• Recurring or new cancers in an aging population. The report estimates that as many as 16% of older cancer patients will have had a previous malignancy.

So even as we continue to make strides in treating and curing cancers, ensuring that cancer survivors lead long, healthy and productive lives, will continue to be a challenge for healthcare providers.

Sources:

Health Finder

Eureka Alert

American Society of Clinical Oncologists

A new study of women in China found that those who consumed the most cruciferous vegetables were 63 percent less likely to die of breast cancer and 35 percent less likely to experience a recurrence of the disease, than those who ate the least.

Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, mustard greens, collard greens, kale and arugula.

This study involved almost 5,000 women between 20 and 75 years old who were part of the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study. Researchers interviewed the women within six months of their diagnosis to record information about their diet, lifestyle and tumor stage. They also asked about their intake of cruciferous vegetables at 18 and 36 months after their diagnosis. On average, the women in the new study ate about 3 1/2 ounces a day of cruciferous vegetables.

Previous studies conducted in China, the United States and Sweden suggested that higher cruciferous vegetable intake could be linked with reduced risk of developing breast cancer, but the current research is among the first to examine women after a breast cancer diagnosis.

More Benefits

In addition to finding a reduced risk of dying of breast cancer or having it return, the researchers also found that women in the top quarter for cruciferous veggie consumption were 62 percent less likely to die of any cause than those in the bottom 25 percent. This supports previous research in which the same researchers found a link between cruciferous vegetable consumption and fewer deaths and less heart disease among healthy Chinese adults, suggesting that they may promote overall health.

Cruciferous vegetables are just one food proven to help prevent cancer, there’s four more in this article highlighting the Five All-Star Foods to Help Prevent Cancer.

Source:

Health Finder