New estimates project that 18 million Americans will be living with a history of cancer by 2022, an increase of approximately 30 percent from the current 13.7 million survivors nationwide today. The predictions are from the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute report "Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Facts and Figures," released last month, the first time the organizations have had such a report.
The estimates are based on data from the NCI-funded Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and find that despite a decrease in the rates of cancer incidence, the number of cancer survivors is still growing because of population growth, longer life expectancies, and improving cancer survival rates.
The 44-page report and related journal article are now available online ahead of print in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (doi: 10.3322/caac.21149) and can also be found at http://www.cancer.org/statistics.
"With this effort, we review the critical issues related to cancer treatment and survivorship," said the senior author, Elizabeth R. Ward, PhD, ACS's National Vice President of Intramural Research. "Many survivors, even among those who are cancer free, must cope with the long-term effects of treatment, as well as psychological concerns such as fear of recurrence. As more people survive cancer, it is vital that health care providers are aware of the special needs of cancer patients and caregivers."