There's no question that much needs to be done in cancer research as there still is no cure. But scientists and health care providers must be doing something right. In the period from 1991 to 2014, the death rate in the United States from cancer has dropped by 25%. How much is that in actual numbers? A staggering 2.1 million less deaths than expected. That's good news for families and loved ones of patients who, if diagnosed before so many advances, may not have survived. The four cancers that have shown the most reduction in deaths are breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer.
The American Cancer society attributes the reduced deaths to better screening, advances in treatments and fewer smokers. While these numbers are encouraging, research must still go on, not only in these four cancers, but in other more aggressive cancers like pancreatic and brain cancer. Numbers are projected to show 1.7 million new cases of cancer this year and 600,000 cancer deaths, so vigilance is still the name of the game.
