Progress against cancer...?!

Data from the population based cancer registry in Alberta, Canada as well as from the National Canadian Cancer registry were used to evaluate the outcome of oncologic treatment over the past 25 years. Age standardized incidence rates for all cancers combined, and for most individual cancer sites separately, show a continuous increase over time. Overall, the mortality rates have been increasing as well. Age specific trends in incidence and mortality show that, despite an increase in incidence rate, only in childhood cancers does a decrease in mortality exist. However, in patients aged 50 years or more at the time of the cancer diagnosis an increase in mortality was noted which actually exceeded the increase in incidence. Site specific analysis showed a decreasing trend in mortality for Hodgkin's disease, testicular cancer, stomach cancer, and melanoma (in females). A disturbingly increasing trend, specifically in women, existed for lung cancer mortality. It is projected that in women in Alberta mortality from lung cancer will surpass breast cancer mortality to become the number one cancer killer in women within the next few years. The overall 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year relative survival for all cancers combined remained constant over the 25-year period covered in this study. In conclusion, when analyzing the three indicators (incidence, mortality, and survival rates) of success in the fight against cancer no objective signs of progress could be found. Exceptions are the childhood cancers and relatively infrequent tumors such as Hodgkin's disease and testicular cancer. A plea is made for a shift in funding towards an increased emphasis on applied prevention programs and research.