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- During the period 1974-1976, the 5-year survival
rate among adults for all cancers combined was
50%; among whites, it was 51%; among blacks,
it was approximately 39%.
-
During the same period, the 5-year survival rate
for all childhood cancers combined was less
than 50%.
- For the five most common cancers, the 5-year survival rates were: Breast,
75%; colon, 50%; lung, 13%; prostate, 68%; and rectum, 49%.
-
Clinical investigation of combination
chemotherapy, using multiple drugs with
different mechanisms of action, in the treatment
of cancer was just beginning.
-
Clinical studies of anticancer vaccines (treatment
or prevention) and of drugs to prevent cancer
had not yet begun.
- Among adults, the 5-year survival rate for
all cancers combined is now approximately
65%; among whites, it is about 66%; among
blacks, it is about 56%.
- The 5-year survival rate for all childhood cancers
combined is now nearly 80%.
- As of 2001, the latest year for which we have updated statistics, the 5-year
survival rates for the five most common cancers were: Breast, 90%; colon,
65%; lung, 16%; prostate, 100%; and rectum, 65%.
- Combination chemotherapy is now standard in the treatment of many cancers
and has contributed to increasing survival and cure rates. For example, the
introduction of combination chemotherapy, including the drug cisplatin, has
led to cure rates for testicular cancer of approximately 95%. Treatment for
this disease has become so effective that 80% of patients with metastatic
testicular cancer can now be cured. Thirty-five years ago, 95% of these patients
died, usually within 1 year of diagnosis.
-
Two vaccines have been approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that have
the potential to prevent some forms of liver
cancer (hepatitis B virus vaccine) and approximately
70% of cervical cancers (vaccine against
human papillomavirus strains 16 and 18). In
addition, several cancer treatment vaccines are
currently being evaluated in large-scale clinical
trials, including vaccines for the treatment of
non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma, kidney
cancer, multiple myeloma, and prostate cancer.
- Therapies that target the specific molecular
changes that cause cells to become cancerous or
processes that are required for continuous cancer
cell growth and metastasis are now part of
our therapeutic arsenal. To date, the FDA has
approved more than a dozen molecularly targeted
agents for cancer-related indications, including
trastuzumab and three different aromatase
inhibitors for breast cancer; imatinib mesylate
for chronic myelogenous leukemia and
gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors (GIST);
sunitinib for advanced kidney cancer and
imatinib-resistant GIST; bevacizumab for
advanced colorectal cancer and advanced lung
cancer; and bortezomib for multiple myeloma.
- Refined radiation therapy techniques, such as 3-dimensional conformal radiation
therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and brachytherapy (radioactive seeds),
which are designed to deliver high doses of radiation to tumors while minimizing
the doses delivered to nearby healthy tissue, are now widely used. These advances
are allowing greater tissue, organ, and limb preservation.
-
Effective therapies to control the side effects of
cancer and its treatment, including pain, nausea,
vomiting, and mouth sores, are now available.
- We will exploit our rapidly increasing knowledge
of genetics, molecular biology, and immunology
to develop even more effective and less toxic
treatments for cancer. This knowledge will also
allow us to detect cancer earlier, when it is most
treatable, and to individualize patient care.
- We will continue our efforts to expand knowledge
of and access to palliative care, to eliminate
cancer-related health disparities, and to ensure
the best possible outcomes for all cancer patients.
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