ASCO Statement: Continued Decline In Cancer Death Rates Demonstrates Value Of National Investment In Cancer Research

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 22 Oct 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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A new study published online in the journal Cancer, "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2004", shows that cancer death rates decreased 2.1 percent per year on average from 2002-2004, almost double the annual 1.1 percent per year decrease from 1993-2002. The study was conducted by the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

"These exciting new data demonstrate what many of us in the cancer research and practice community have known for some time. The long-term federal investment in cancer research is paying off," said Nancy E. Davidson, MD, ASCO president.

"But this impressive pace of progress will slow if we don't recommit to funding cancer research. Adjusted for inflation, cancer research funding has actually declined 12 percent since 2004-this has never happened in our nation's history. Without additional funding, the chance to build on the extraordinary progress to date, and provide new treatments for 1.4 million Americans diagnosed with cancer every year, will be delayed or lost," Dr. Davidson said.

ASCO has called for a nearly 7 percent increase in the National Institutes of Health budget to help reverse the effects of flat funding, keep pace with inflation, and maintain the nation's world-class research infrastructure. Congress is currently considering much smaller increases in NIH funding for the current fiscal year, and will take up next year's budget in the spring.

ASCO Previews Top 2007 Cancer Research Advances

Clear examples of progress in cancer research will be outlined in ASCO's third annual Clinical Cancer Advances report, due to publish as a free-standing report and online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on December 17.

A total of 25 studies are featured in this year's report, ASCO's annual review of the most significant cancer research presented or published over the past year. The top studies identified by a 21-member oncologist editorial board include:

- Targeted Therapy Sorafenib Improves Survival in Liver Cancer: Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. In a significant advance in the treatment of the disease, a large study found that patients who took the targeted therapy sorafenib (Nexavar) for hepatocellular carcinoma lived about 44 percent longer than patients who did not.

- Bevacizumab Improves Treatment of Advanced Kidney Cancer: A large multicenter study showed adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to the kidney cancer drug interferon-α2a nearly doubles progression-free survival, from 5.4 months to 10.2 months.

- MRI has Role in Breast Cancer Screening: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) versus mammography to detect breast cancer has generated significant debate. This year, new guidelines and findings from several studies show for the first time that MRI can be effectively used in women at high risk of developing cancer, but that MRI is not yet recommended for most women as a breast cancer screening tool.

- HPV Linked to Head and Neck Cancers: Two studies show that the human papillomavirus (HPV, the virus present in virtually all cervical cancers) was found in 72 percent of several types of head and neck cancers, but that the presence of the virus was linked to better treatment outcomes. These findings suggest a possible role for the recently approved HPV vaccine.

- Drop in Breast Cancer Cases Linked to Declining Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy: Two studies this year reported that the recent significant reduction in breast cancer incidence appears to be associated with the declining use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in menopausal women since 2002.

- Preventive Radiation Therapy Reduces Spread of Advanced Lung Cancer to the Brain:Researchers reported for the first time that radiation therapy to the head for some patients with advanced small cell lung cancer cuts the risk that the cancer will spread to the brain by about two-thirds, and as a result doubled one-year survival rates.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer. ASCO's nearly 25,000 members from the United States and abroad set the standard for patient care and lead the efforts to discover more effective cancer treatments, increase funding for clinical and translational research, and, ultimately, improve cancer care for the estimated 10 million people diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year. ASCO publishes the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the preeminent, peer-reviewed, medical journal on clinical cancer research, and produces People Living With Cancer, a comprehensive consumer website providing oncologist-vetted cancer information to help patients and families make informed health-care decisions.

American Society of Clinical Oncology