It seems that cancer is more common these days, and it is. About 12.5 percent more people are being diagnosed with cancer than 50 years ago. But, more than 25 percent fewer people are dying of cancer, explains Mikkael Sekeres, MD for the Washington Post. Cancer treatment today has improved considerably from where it was.
New chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments are keeping all different types of cancer at bay. They are able to block the uncontrolled cell growth that is cancer. With cancer, cells don’t replicate as they should. Or, they are damaged by cancer causing chemicals.
As we age, the likelihood of cells replicating improperly increases, which increases the likelihood of getting cancer. Some people get cancer when they are young because of genetic abnormalities such as the BRCA gene. Viruses, such as the human papilloma virus, can also cause cancer. And, our behaviors, such as excessive alcohol and smoking, can damage our cells and cause cancer over time.
Because we are living longer, more people are getting cancer. And, as we develop new technologies for detecting cancer, more people are diagnosed with cancer. That said, people with cancer are living longer.
As a result of both early detection and new treatments, we are seeing changes in cancer rates for different types of cancer. Colorectal cancer rates are increasing for people under 50, and they are decreasing for people over 50.
The good news: Between chemotherapies that target gene mutations and immunotherapies that teach your immune system to find and destroy cancer cells, we are increasingly able to extend the lives of people with a wide range of different cancers.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Colorectal cancer: How to minimize your risk
- Cancer screenings bring benefits at substantial cost
- Cancer patients face particularly severe medical debt
- Medicare stops covering costly brain-cancer drug
- Should you be screened for prostate cancer?
