Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies

There are few things in life more dreaded than hearing a doctor's diagnosis of cancer.  The mere mention of the word evokes emotions of fear, anxiety and panic.  It is an invasive disease that not only ravages the body but saps the human will to live.  Cancer can be a swift killer or it can linger for years.

Cancer's toll is not only physical.  It also exacts a high financial cost from patients.  Based on a report issued last year by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the price tag to treat cancer is expected to skyrocket 40 percent to $175 billion annually by 2020.  The cost was $88.7 billion in 2011.

As costs spiral, the number of new cancer cases in the United States is expected to continue to rise.  The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,658,370 new cases will be diagnosed this year.  In its most recent report, the society forecasts 589,430 Americans will die from the disease in 2015.

Worldwide, cancer cases are exploding.  By 2030, the society projects there will be 21.7 million new cases and more than 13 million cancer deaths.  The growth and aging of the population are multipliers that will impact the numbers of new cases.  

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in this nation, exceeded only by heart disease.  Nearly one out of four deaths in the country will be attributed to cancer.  The most common cancers are those that attack the digestive and respiratory systems as well as the breasts and prostate.

However, cancer no longer is a death sentence.  The good news is that recent advances have increased the survival rates.  The five-year survival rates for all cancers diagnosed from 2004 to 2010 was 68 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.

In its previous study, the survival rate was 49 percent, which suggests consistent progress.  But while cancer deaths have decreased 12 percent since 1970, heart disease mortality rates have declined by 62 percent. The explanation for the difference in progress may be as simple as money.

A report by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, documented that cancer funding has stagnated.  At a time when the opportunity exists for significant strides in improving cancer treatment, the funding has not kept up with the urgency for new research.

The report also identified other challenges including excessive and complex government oversight, long delays in the launch of clinical trials and the difficult recruitment of new scientists.  In addition, the survey noted the need for more clinical researchers to conduct ground-breaking trials.

Those clinical trials represent the front lines of the cancer battle.  A prime example is the nationally acclaimed Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) in San Antonio, which  has developed 20 new cancer drugs, revolutionizing patient treatments.

With public and private funding, centers such as the CTRC are able to conduct the scientific research with patients enrolled in new treatment studies.  These clinical trials often pave the way for innovative treatments which improve outcomes for patients with cancer.  

But money alone won't kill cancer.  Americans also must do more. One study found that the steepest drop in cancer mortality rates were for those types where screening and prevention are readily available. Many insurance companies pay for these tests, but well-meaning people vacillate or resist screenings.

There are other measures people can take, including maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, increasing physical activity and adopting wholesome eating habits.  These common sense remedies are too often ignored.  Americans would rather gulp down a magic pill to prevent cancer.  None exists.

But even if people embrace new habits, it won't stop cancer in its tracks.  More funding is required to underwrite robust clinical trials that give birth to new treatments.  The country owes it to every citizen to make cancer funding a top national priority.

If not now, when?  How many deaths must occur before the nation acts?

Cancer must be wiped out, not just contained.  Whatever the cost, it will not be too steep a price to pay.