In case you missed it, cancer death rates are continuing to decrease for men, women and children in the United States thanks in part to biopharmaceutical innovation, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.
Published annually by The American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the report found from 2010 to 2014, cancer death rates decreased each year by 1.8 percent in men, 1.4 percent in women and 1.6 percent in children.
The report notes:
- Death rates decreased for 11 of the 16 most common cancer types in men and for 13 of the 18 most common cancer types in women, including lung, colorectal, female breast, and prostate.
- When comparing data from 1975 to 1977 and 2006 to 2012, the report found the five-year survival rates for some distant-stage types of cancer increased significantly. For example, the survival rate for distant-stage breast cancer in women jumped from 18.7 percent to 33.6 percent.
With improved early detection and more effective treatments, efforts to improve cancer outcomes are seeing positive results.
While cancers persist as some of the most complex and devastating disease areas, biopharmaceutical researchers remain committed to continuing the progress toward better treatments and cures for the more than 200 unique diseases we call cancer. Researchers continue to better understand the underlying complexity of cancers, and today, there are more than 800 medicines and vaccines in clinical testing for cancer – approximately 80 percent of which are potentially the first of their kind.
Read more about the work being done by America’s biopharmaceutical companies in cancer treatment and about the last decade of innovation in cancer.
Andrew Powaleny
Andrew Powaleny is the Deputy Vice President of Public Affairs at PhRMA, where he leads communications on scientific, regulatory and intellectual property issues, highlighting the biopharmaceutical industry’s efforts in developing innovative medicines and vaccines while promoting an environment that encourages necessary risk-taking. For five years starting in 2019, he launched and led PhRMA’s grassroots initiative, Voters for Cures, bringing patients and caregivers together to advocate for access to medicine and biopharmaceutical innovation. He also co-founded and co-chaired PRIDE Umbrella, a resource group for LGBTQ+ individuals. Prior to joining PhRMA in 2015, Andrew worked as a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., and as Deputy Press Secretary for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce under Chairman Fred Upton. He holds a degree in public policy and government from Eastern Connecticut State University, with a minor in music. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys exercise, musical theater and mentoring college students through The Fund for American Studies alumni association.
Andrew Powaleny
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Cancer
ICYMI: Report highlights overall decrease in cancer death rates
ICYMI: Report highlights overall decrease in cancer death rates