WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent report, released by the American Cancer Society, found that certain types of cancer are on the rise among younger adults and women in the U.S.
'Cancer is the number one leading cause of death for all folks under the age of 85,' William Dahut, chief scientific officer for ACS, said.
'This year, we anticipate that there'll be over 2 million new cancer diagnoses and 618,000 cancer deaths. That would be the equivalent of losing two mid-sized cities in this country.'
The report, titled Cancer Statistics, noted that cancer rates were slightly higher in women than men in the age group of 50 to 64, and women under 50 are almost twice as likely as men in the same age group to receive a cancer diagnosis.
'What's driving this increasing trend in women is breast cancer and thyroid cancer,' explained Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director at ACS.
'Even though thyroid cancer has stabilized in recent years, it was the fastest-increasing cancer during the time period that we're looking at.'
The report also noted racial disparities in the cases, with American Indian and Alaska Native people more likely to die from cancers of the cervix, kidney, liver, and stomach compared to White people. Meanwhile, Black people have increased probability of dying from prostate, stomach, and uterine cancer than White people.
The authors singled out alcohol as one of the possible factors leading to increasing risk of certain cancers. Additionally, they noted that rising cases of cancer among younger population might be due to 'generational impact' as more people are diagnosed at an earlier stage of life and less frequently when they are older.
Interestingly, the report highlighted a decline of 34 percent in the cancer deaths since their peak in 1991 due to several factors, such as fall in smoking rate, earlier detection of cancer and advancement in cancer treatment.
'The nation should be encouraged that cancer mortality continues to decline,' said Lisa Lacasse, president of the ACS Cancer Action Network.
'However, the increased incidence in certain populations, including women, adolescents, Native American people and Black people, is an important reminder of how critical it is to ensure ongoing investment in cancer research and to prioritize policies that not only preserve but increase access to care for everyone.'
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