Dec. 9, 2008 – Cancer may soon replace heart
disease as the leading cause of death in the world according to a
report today from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
This news that cancer is projected to become the leading cause of death
in the year 2010 has moved the nation's leading cancer organizations to
join an event called Conquering Cancer: A Global Effort, to focus
attention on the growing global cancer burden and discuss efforts needed
to address the problem.
Death rates for 8 of the 10 leading causes of death
in U.S. all dropped significantly in 2006; Alzheimer’s passed diabetes
becoming the sixth leading cause of death
The new edition of the World Cancer Report
also says and low- and middle-income countries will feel the impact of
higher cancer incidence and death rates more sharply than industrialized
countries.
Despite the recent good news in the U.S. that
cancer incidence and death rates for men and women in the United States
continue to decline, the American Cancer Society, the Lance Armstrong
Foundation, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure discussed how each
organization is addressing the global cancer problem and together issued
a call to action for the incoming United States presidential
administration and Congress.
In addition, a new international documentary film
entitled "Cancer Is…" was premiered.
According to the new report, the burden of cancer
doubled globally between 1975 and 2000.
It is estimated that it will double again by 2020
and nearly triple by 2030.
This translates to far greater numbers of people
living with – and dying from – the disease.
The report estimates that there were some 12
million new cancer diagnoses worldwide this year, and more than seven
million people will die from the disease. The projected numbers for the
year 2030 are 20-26 million new diagnoses and 13-17 million deaths.
The growing cancer burden includes global increases
of incidence of about one percent each year, with larger increases in
China, Russia, and India. Reasons for the increased rates include
adoption of Western habits in less developed countries, such as tobacco
use and higher-fat diets, and demographic changes, including a projected
population increase of 38 percent in less developed countries between
2008 and 2030.
In addition to increases in cancer incidence and
death rates, the report identifies challenges in cancer care, especially
in Africa, where pain management and palliative care are very limited
because any use of narcotics is prohibited by law in several countries.
Sharing the stage were John R. Seffrin, Ph.D.,
chief executive officer, American Cancer Society; Lance Armstrong,
founder and chairman, Lance Armstrong Foundation; Hala Moddelmog,
president and chief executive officer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure;
Peter Boyle, B.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc.(Med), director, International Agency
for Research on Cancer; Alejandro Mohar Betancourt, M.D., Sc.D.,
director, National Cancer Institute of Mexico, and Bill Gregory, a
throat cancer survivor.
The American Cancer Society's Seffrin said, "For
all of our 95 years the Society has pursued the vow of our founders to
eliminate cancer in all humankind. We recognize that cancer strikes
without regard to borders or socioeconomic status, and we support cancer
control initiatives in more than 20 countries, and fund capacity
building and tobacco control grants in some 70 countries – including the
launch next week of our tobacco Quitline® in India. It is my hope that
by bringing proven interventions to places in the world impacted most by
this disease, we can diminish needless suffering and save many lives."
Armstrong explained his foundation's international
work, saying, "Since announcing the launch of our international cancer
awareness campaign at the Clinton Global Initiative less than three
months ago, we are already in discussions with more than 20 nations,
NGOs and business leaders to advance this issue. Even in a challenging
economy, people realize that with cancer there is progress to be made
and prevention measures to be taken."
Deaths 2006
● The preliminary number of deaths in the
United States in 2006 was 2,425,900, a 22,117 decrease from the
2005 total. With a rapidly growing older population, declines in
the number of deaths (as opposed to death rates) are unusual,
and the 2006 decline is likely the result of more mild influenza
mortality in 2006 compared with 2005.
● Between 2005 and 2006, the largest decline in
age-adjusted death rates occurred for influenza and pneumonia, with a
12.8 percent decline. Other declines were observed for chronic lower
respiratory diseases (6.5 percent), stroke (6.4 percent), heart disease
(5.5 percent), diabetes (5.3 percent), hypertension (5 percent), chronic
liver disease and cirrhosis (3.3 percent), suicide (2.8 percent),
septicemia or blood poisoning (2.7 percent), cancer (1.6 percent) and
accidents (1.5 percent).
● There were an estimated 12,045 deaths from
HIV/AIDS in 2006, and age-adjusted death rates from the disease declined
4.8% from 2005.
● The preliminary infant mortality rate for 2006
was 6.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 2.3 percent decline from
the 2005 rate of 6.9.
● Alzheimer’s disease passed diabetes to become
the sixth leading cause of death in the United States in 2006. An
estimated 72,914 Americans died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2006. However,
the preliminary age-adjusted death rate from Alzheimer’s did not change
significantly between 2005 and 2006.
The data are based on over 95% of death
certificates collected in all 50 states and the District of Columbia as
part of the National Vital Statistics System.
"Breast cancer alone will be diagnosed in 25
million women over the next 25 years. Susan G. Komen for the Cure
already has changed the way we talk about and treat breast cancer in the
United States, and we're bringing what we've learned to developing
countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern
Europe.
This 'global health diplomacy' approach, with its focus on
better access to care, is already educating and empowering women
worldwide, and it is critical if we're to save lives and resolve the
growing global cancer crisis," said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of
Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Explaining the results of the report, Dr. Boyle
said, "The rapid increase in the global cancer burden represents a real
challenge for health systems worldwide. However, there is a clear
message of hope: although cancer is a devastating disease, it is largely
preventable. We know that preventive measures such as tobacco control,
reduction of alcohol consumption, increased physical activity,
vaccinations for hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV), and
screening and awareness could have a great impact on reducing the global
cancer burden."
"We appreciate the opportunity to stand with
leading cancer organizations in the United States to make global cancer
a priority. In Mexico, we have seen the power of the government working
with the NGO's, and look forward to collaborating globally to conquer
cancer," said Dr. Mohar of Mexico's National Cancer Institute.
The six call to action steps issued by the three
U.S. organizations include:
1) making vaccines that prevent cancer causing
infections more widely available to low-income nations, including
specifically combating cervical cancer through Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) efforts to make the HPV vaccine
accessible and affordable;
2) committing to a comprehensive tobacco control
approach in the U.S., which includes taking measures proven effective in
reducing smoking rates and having Congress grant the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco;
3) ratifying immediately the Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first ever global public health treaty
that sets forth comprehensive measures to reduce health and economic
impacts of tobacco;
4) supporting efforts of non-governmental
organizations to build advocacy and resources, empower survivors and
reduce suffering in low- to middle-income countries by working with
governments, medical professionals and the corporate sector to enable
individuals to adopt healthier behaviors;
5) promoting culturally sensitive risk reduction
and education campaigns by leveraging our own successful U.S. efforts to
help build capacity of nongovernmental organizations in other countries;
and
6) investing in cancer research and expanding
access to prevention and early detection measures in the U.S., with a
specific focus on increasing federal funding of medical research.
The news conference also featured the domestic
launch of a new documentary film series focused on the global cancer
problem titled "Cancer Is…" The documentary is narrated by former U.S.
President George H. W. Bush, and was produced by France's Cemil Alyanak,
a renowned expert on global health communications.
Notes:
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to
eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives,
diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education,
advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in
Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in
3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United
States. For more information on our global programs, visit
www.cancer.org/international.
About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we stand up for
the 25 million people around the world living with cancer today. There
can be – and should be – life after cancer for more people. That's why
we work to prevent cancer, ensure patients get proper cancer screening
and care, support research and help cancer survivors live life on their
own terms. We kick in at the moment of diagnosis, giving people the
support they need to fight cancer head-on. We find creative ways to
raise awareness and end the stigma about cancer that many survivors
face. We connect people and communities to drive social change, and we
call for state, national and world leaders to help fight this disease.
Join us at
LIVESTRONG.org.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan
G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer
forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and
launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is
the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and
activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care
for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like
the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.2 billion to
fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds
dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more
information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast
cancer, visit
www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
About the International Agency for Research on
Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
is part of the World Health Organization. IARC's mission is to
coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, the
mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific strategies for
cancer control. The Genetic Epidemiology Group within IARC conducts
large scale case–control studies of specific cancers, and participates
in international consortia, in order to ensure that studies have
adequate sample size.
http://www.iarc.fr/en.
Two percent lower lung cancer risk with each glass of
red wine consumed per month