Oliver: Despite advances in cancer treatment, too many Americans still will be diagnosed

Hearing that I had cancer was a surreal experience. It was hard to get my head around it.

That day in 2019 when I was told that I had breast cancer brought with it a host of emotions: fear, sadness, uncertainty.

My father had died of cancer in 1987. With his cancer, he didn’t know about it until it was far too late to do anything about it. He died nine days after he went into the hospital.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my oldest brother, Gary, was battling his own cancer. He modeled a stoic, no-nonsense approach to the battle. Sadly, though, he lost his fight in 2020.

My family is hardly alone in dealing with cancer, however.

Even as cancer deaths have been declining, more people than ever in the United States are being diagnosed with cancer, according to an annual American Cancer Society report, “Cancer Facts & Figures 2024,” which can be found at cancer.org.

In this year’s report, the projected number of new cases is expected to reach 2 million for the first time. Six of the top 10 cancers are increasing.

“We’re encouraged by the steady drop in cancer mortality as a result of less smoking, earlier detection for some cancers, and improved treatment,” the report’s lead author, Rebecca Siegel, said in a news release. “But as a nation, we’ve dropped the ball on cancer prevention as incidence continues to increase for many common cancers – like breast, prostate and endometrial, as well as colorectal and cervical cancers in some young adults.”

For instance, colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer in men and the second in women under 50 years old. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of death of women in this age group, with 2,251 deaths in 2021.

“The continuous sharp increase in colorectal cancer in younger Americans is alarming,” the study’s senior author, Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, said in the release. “We need to halt and reverse this trend by increasing uptake of screening, increasing awareness of noninvasive stool tests with follow-up care, in people 45-49 years. Up to one-third of people diagnosed before 50 have a family history or genetic predisposition and should begin screening before age 45.”

Overall, the report found that cancer patients are getting young: The proportion of diagnoses in people 50 to 64 years old increased from 25% in 1995 to 30% in 2019-20, while the proportion 65 and older decreased from 61% to 58%, despite both age groups growing in the general population.

In a bit of good news, after decades of increases, cancer incidence in children has leveled off, although rates continue to increase among those 15 to 19 years old, including a greater than 4% per year increase in thyroid cancer, which the report attributes to likely overdiagnosis. The 15-year survival rate for thyroid cancer in teens is 99%.

If you’re like me, it’s easy to look at these numbers and forget that there are real people behind them. I did that for many years until my own cancer made the numbers very, very personal. I hadn’t seen my cancer coming and when it happened, I felt as if I had been plopped onto a speeding rollercoaster ride with scarcely enough time to put on a safety belt.

Still, these days many cancers can be prevented. The report also found an increase in cancers that are linked to obesity. Yet, those connected with lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, went down.

In fact, the American Cancer Society points out that the report underscores the importance of preventive measures, noting that 42% of cancers are preventable, offering recommendations such as eliminating tobacco use, promoting HPV vaccination, encouraging exercise, addressing obesity and recognizing the impact of heavy alcohol use.

None of this is new, and we’ve heard this before. Yet, for any of this to make a difference in our own lives, we need to take it seriously and personally.

Since my cancer diagnosis, I’ve been doing all I can to be healthier and more proactive when it comes to screenings. Once I’m done with my cancer treatments at the end of this year, you can bet I never want to go through it again.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.