World Cancer Day: Revolutionizing Treatment for Patients is “Not Beyond Us”

Today is World Cancer Day, and 2015’s “Not beyond us” theme highlights an incredibly important message: we’re making tremendous advances in the fight against cancer and continued progress means a future with a cure could be right around the corner. America’s biopharmaceutical research companies are dedicated to achieving this outcome and improving the quality of patients’ lives through pioneering medicines and enabling access to those treatments. 

Developing new medicines is a challenge. Take lung cancer, for example. Between 1998 and 2014, there were 167 unsuccessful tries and 10 approved treatments. However, small advances in research lead to greater progress and there are thousands of novel treatments on the horizon. though pioneering medicines and enabling access to those treatments.

While the challenge is real, stories like Matt Ellefson's, who is living a full life after a fatal lung cancer diagnosis thanks to innovative medicines, make the successes far outweigh the years of attempts. And it isn’t just Matt’s story. Our I'm Not Average series shares similar patient experiences. Hearing from Matt and other survivors who continue to battle cancer each day is inspiring. They aren’t giving up their hope for cures—and neither are we.

The cancer death rate has already fallen by 20 percent since its peak in 1991 [infographic], in large part due to medicines. Life expectancy is increasing dramatically with the five-year survival rate going up 20 percent for breast cancer, 51 percent for prostate cancer, 36 percent for colon cancer, and 52 percent for lung cancer.

If you’re looking to get involved in World Cancer Day, share this post or the videos and be sure to use the hashtags #WorldCancerDay and #NotBeyondUs to help spread the world about how innovative cancer medicines are enabling people to take back their lives.