Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Cancer Data Has A Dichotomy: Deaths Are Falling, But Cases Are Up
The New York Times: Cancer Deaths Are Falling, But There May Be An Asterisk
Cancer deaths in the United States are falling, with four million deaths prevented since 1991, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual report. At the same time, the society reported that the number of new cancer cases had ticked up to more than two million in 2023, from 1.9 million in 2022. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease. Doctors believe that it is urgent to understand changes in the death rate, as well as changes in cancer diagnoses. (Kolata, 1/17)
ABC News: Cancer Deaths Declining Overall, But Troubling Increase For Colon And Breast Cancer In Younger Adults: Report
Deaths from cancer have declined by 33% since 1991, averting 4.1 million deaths. However, more people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, and at an earlier age, according to a major new report from the American Cancer Society. Experts say one big reason cancer deaths have declined is due to decreases in smoking rates, as well as improved treatments and targeted therapies. Still, experts are worried about the increase in some cancers in adults 50 and under - and say it's urgent to understand what's behind the troubling trend. (Thakur, 1/17)
Axios: New Cancer Diagnoses Expected To Hit Record High This Year
New cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are expected to top 2 million for the first time in 2024, driven in large part by an alarming increase in cancers among younger Americans, according to new American Cancer Society data. There have been major improvements in cancer survival, but there's a worrying rise in some cancers at the same time doctors are trying to figure out why they're seeing more young patients with cancer. (Reed, 1/17)
USA Today: More Than 2 Million Americans Will Get Cancer This Year: Here's What You Should Know
Although U.S. cancer cases will eclipse 2 million for the first time this year, there is some good news: lower smoking rates, earlier detection and improved treatments have lowered death rates over the past three decades, a new report said. The American Cancer Society's annual cancer statistics report projects 611,720 cancer deaths this year, a slight increase from a year ago. The cancer death rate dropped 33% from 1991 through 2021, according to the most recent statistics available, the group said. (Alltucker, 1/17)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: Your Healthspan Is As Important As Your Lifespan—And It’s Declining
Americans are living longer, but spending less time in good health. The estimated average proportion of life spent in good health declined to 83.6% in 2021, down from 85.8% in 1990, according to an analysis of the latest data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study, a research effort based at the University of Washington. The decrease of time spent in good health is partly because medical advances are catching and treating diseases that once would have killed us. But it is also because of the rising prevalence, often among younger people, of conditions such as obesity, diabetes and substance-use disorders. (Janin, 1/17)
In potential cancer breakthroughs —
Stat: FDA Clears AI Tool For Detecting Skin Cancer
The Food and Drug Administration cleared an AI-powered device for detecting skin cancer on Wednesday, giving primary care physicians a new way to evaluate troubling skin spots. Around 5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. Skin cancer is common, but most types are not that deadly when caught early. (Lawrence, 1/17)
Houston Chronicle: Rice Researchers Say 'Molecular Jackhammers' Can Kill Cancer Cells
Researchers at Rice University are developing “molecular jackhammers” that go inside the body and kill cancer cells by vibrating trillions of times per second. Their research has been tested in lab cultures of human melanoma cells, a kind of skin cancer, with 99 percent efficiency. It has also been tested in mice with melanoma tumors, half of which were deemed cancer-free after treatment. “We’ve found this to be a very efficient way to kill cancer cells,” said Ciceron Ayala-Orozco, a Rice research scientist in the Tour group and lead author on a study published in Nature Chemistry. (Leinfelder, 1/17)
