Cancer rates rising
Better screening is helping cut down on cancer deaths
Cancer experts say more people than ever before are now likely to develop the disease at some time, but the chances of survival are also increasing.
Figures highlighted by the Cancer Research Campaign show that the proportion of the population suffering from cancer has risen significantly over the past 20 years.
Four in ten people are now expected to develop cancer, say experts at the charity.
However, they add that new treatments are likely to mean the disease may well become controllable within 50 years.
Many people will have cancer but it will be under control in the way diabetes is now
Dr Lesley Walker
Latest statistics for England and Wales show that in 1996, 41 per cent of men and 38 per cent of women were at risk of developing cancer in their lifetime.
In 1981 the statistics were 32 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women.
The projected increase is partly due to the fact people are living longer, with most cancer patients developing the disease over the age of 65.
Some older patients who have slowly progressing cancers are likely to die of other causes.
Better detection methods, including an increase in screening, mean that more cancers are found early and the survival rate is now better than ever.
The Cancer Research Campaign said advances in treatment could lead to the disease becoming a controllable condition like diabetes.
But it said a chronic shortage of cancer doctors and the rising cost of treatments meant its predictions might have to be reviewed unless current levels of government financial support are maintained.
The campaign's head of scientific information, Dr Lesley Walker, said the outlook for those developing the disease was improving all the time.
She told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The most exciting drop in death rates has been seen in breast cancer, and the reason why that's so exciting is because deaths really were increasing year on year until the late 80s, and now we've seen a big drop right the way through the last decade.
New treatments
Cancer survival rates
A third of cancer patients are now completely cured
By 2010 this figure could rise to 50%
By 2020 up to 80% of cancer patients could live a normal lifespan
"One of the main reasons for that is better treatment of early breast cancer.
"We'll expect to see an even further decrease due to the impact of the breast-screening programme."
She said the organisation was confident cancer would be largely beaten by the second half of the century.
"That's not to say everyone will be cured of cancer, but that many people will have cancer but it will be under control in the way diabetes is now," she said.
"There's been huge progress in the laboratories in terms of understanding the genes which control cancer
"And a whole raft of new treatment strategies are being developed."
Cancer will be controlled, people will live longer and live with their cancer
Professor Karol Sikora, World Health Organisation
Professor Karol Sikora, of the World Health Organisation said by 2020 it may be possible that 80% of people with cancer would not die from the disease - provided sufficient resources were made available.
At present, about one third of cancer patients are completely cured.
He said: "Cancer will be controlled, people will live longer and live with their cancer.
"At the moment we tend to treat cancer with blitz therapy - one big bang over six months. That is going to change over the next ten years, it will be treated slowly, gently with much less side effects from the treatment, but it will be more complicated, it will require better healthcare facilities than we have got at the moment.
"There will be a gradual transformation as there has been over the last 20 years."
Cancer experts say more people than ever before are now likely to develop the disease at some time, but the chances of survival are also increasing.
Figures highlighted by the Cancer Research Campaign show that the proportion of the population suffering from cancer has risen significantly over the past 20 years.
Four in ten people are now expected to develop cancer, say experts at the charity.
However, they add that new treatments are likely to mean the disease may well become controllable within 50 years.
Many people will have cancer but it will be under control in the way diabetes is now
Dr Lesley Walker
Latest statistics for England and Wales show that in 1996, 41 per cent of men and 38 per cent of women were at risk of developing cancer in their lifetime.
In 1981 the statistics were 32 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women.
The projected increase is partly due to the fact people are living longer, with most cancer patients developing the disease over the age of 65.
Some older patients who have slowly progressing cancers are likely to die of other causes.
Better detection methods, including an increase in screening, mean that more cancers are found early and the survival rate is now better than ever.
The Cancer Research Campaign said advances in treatment could lead to the disease becoming a controllable condition like diabetes.
But it said a chronic shortage of cancer doctors and the rising cost of treatments meant its predictions might have to be reviewed unless current levels of government financial support are maintained.
The campaign's head of scientific information, Dr Lesley Walker, said the outlook for those developing the disease was improving all the time.
She told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The most exciting drop in death rates has been seen in breast cancer, and the reason why that's so exciting is because deaths really were increasing year on year until the late 80s, and now we've seen a big drop right the way through the last decade.
New treatments
Cancer survival rates
A third of cancer patients are now completely cured
By 2010 this figure could rise to 50%
By 2020 up to 80% of cancer patients could live a normal lifespan
"One of the main reasons for that is better treatment of early breast cancer.
"We'll expect to see an even further decrease due to the impact of the breast-screening programme."
She said the organisation was confident cancer would be largely beaten by the second half of the century.
"That's not to say everyone will be cured of cancer, but that many people will have cancer but it will be under control in the way diabetes is now," she said.
"There's been huge progress in the laboratories in terms of understanding the genes which control cancer
"And a whole raft of new treatment strategies are being developed."
Cancer will be controlled, people will live longer and live with their cancer
Professor Karol Sikora, World Health Organisation
Professor Karol Sikora, of the World Health Organisation said by 2020 it may be possible that 80% of people with cancer would not die from the disease - provided sufficient resources were made available.
At present, about one third of cancer patients are completely cured.
He said: "Cancer will be controlled, people will live longer and live with their cancer.
"At the moment we tend to treat cancer with blitz therapy - one big bang over six months. That is going to change over the next ten years, it will be treated slowly, gently with much less side effects from the treatment, but it will be more complicated, it will require better healthcare facilities than we have got at the moment.
"There will be a gradual transformation as there has been over the last 20 years."
posted by yeni_nr @ 5:23 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home