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The US cancer death rate fell by 29% from 1991 to 2017. That’s about 2.9 million lives saved, the report said.
“Even though we have made many advances against cancer, much more work needs to be done,” Ribas said. Ribas is the president of AACR and a professor of medicine, surgery and molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “For example, it is estimated that more than four out of 10 cancer diagnosis, among us adults aged 30 or older, are attributable to potentially preventable causes such as smoking, obesity, and alcohol.”
The pandemic has taken a toll
Looking at data from 190 hospitals in 23 states, the report also found that a number of tests to screen for cervical, breast and colon cancer fell by 85% or more after the first Covid-19 cases was diagnosed in the US.
Delays in cancer screenings and treatment are projected to lead to more than 10,000 additional deaths from breast and colorectal cancer over the next decade.
Obesity and aging increase risks
“This rapid increase in obesity has fueled alarming increases in the incidence rates of a number of cancers related to obesity,” said Li, an epidemiologist who specializes in identifying breast cancer risk factors and works at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “Research on how the effects of obesity and cancer can be countered, along with new strategies to reduce obesity and curb this major epidemic are of critical public health importance.”
Kids are still getting cancer
In 2020, an estimated 413,000 children will develop cancer and 328,000 will die from it, the report found. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death among children ages one to 14.
Black children are 50% more likely to die of cancer than White children, the report found.
Systemic racism tied to cancer
Great racial disparities remain in cancer survival rates for children and adults.
The death rate for stomach cancer is two times higher among Hispanics compared to non-Hispanics, for example.
“There are multiple complex reasons for those differences, but the majority of these factors are directly influenced by ongoing structural and systemic racism in our country,” Li said. “In order to meaningfully address them, we need to continue to see broad changes in institutional and government policies and practices.”
What can be done
AACR called for additional consistent government funding for cancer research and better access to health care and screenings.