CancerThe number of new cancer cases is 454.8 per 100,000 men and women per year based on cases 2008-2012. In 2016, an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 595,690 people will die from the disease. Survival rates are improving for many people with cancer, especially those diagnosed at younger ages, but cancer is still a leading cause of death in the United States, but advances in radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted treatments have improved survival, especially for breast, prostate, lung, liver and colon cancer (Rosen, 2016). Different types of cancer are constantly evolving, so the question here is… are cancer treatments getting better? How have cancer rates changed today compared to then? According to the WebMD website, the United States has the seventh highest cancer rate in the world. we will hear the words “you have cancer” at some point in our lives (2005). It's a remarkable amount. And it is a reminder, which should remind us all, of the challenge we face to defeat this disease. That's not to say we're not making progress: More people fighting cancer are fighting cancer today than ever before. Survival has doubled in the last 40 years (2005). More than three-quarters of all people diagnosed with cancer are over the age of 60. Because cancer is a disease of our genes, the fragments of DNA code that contain the instructions for all the microscopic mechanisms inside our cells. Over time, errors accumulate in this code: scientists can now see them imprinted in the cancer's DNA. And it is these errors that can kick-start a cell's journey to cancer. The longer we live, the more time we have for errors to accumulate. As time passes, the risk of developing cancer increases, as we are also linked to cancer. Being exposed to or working with them can increase a person's risk of cancer. Call us to learn more about carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) that may be around you, or see the "Other Carcinogens" section of our website. Cancers Are Ever Evolving, January 24, 2011 About 300 Americans in 100,000 they develop cancer every year, which means the United States has the seventh highest cancer rate in the world. The good news is that scientists estimate that up to a third of the most common cancers can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, being more physically active and eating more healthily. The high incidence of cancer in the United States and other countries is not inevitable, lifestyle changes can really make a difference. For example, maintaining a healthy weight throughout your life could prevent more than 100,000 cases of cancer (Rosen, 2010).