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Estimated 18 Million cancer survivors by 2022

June 15, 2012

There was an estimated 13.7 million Americans with a history of cancer alive on January 1, 2012, according to the new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS). Researchers anticipate the number of cancer survivors to go up to 18 million by 2022.

On Thursday, the report that was published stated that at this time one in three women and one in two men in the U.S. will develop cancer during their life span.
“Increases in the number of individuals diagnosed with cancer each year, due in large part to aging and growth of the population, as well as improving survival rates, have led to an ever-increasing number of cancer survivors,” the authors of the report wrote.

For example, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer increased to 90% in 2007 from 75.1% in 1977. The 5-year survival rates for childhood cancers are at 82.5% which is an increase of more than 24% since the 1970s. Approximately 45% of all cancer survivors are 70 years or older. The majority of cancer survivors were diagnosed five or more years ago and 15 percent of survivors were diagnosed 20 or more years ago.

Unfortunately, doctors may not be ready to deal with the problems cancer survivors may face. “More can certainly be done [in terms] of what the needs are and how they can best be met,” ACS epidemiologist Carol DeSantis said. “ACS assesses the gaps in resources and finds ways to fulfill those needs.”

The long-term effects from treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, and from the cancer itself can be devastating. Cancer survivors can face blood disorders years after they go into remission. They can deal with osteoporosis from the damage chemotherapy inflicts on a body’s bone marrow. Treatment can also cause muscle pain, cardiovascular problems, and cognitive defects.

The survivor population is growing and it is important to understand and meet the sole needs of people living with a history of cancer.

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