The number of cancer survivors in the U.S. will grow from 14.5 million today to nearly 19 million by 2024, according to an updated report.
The second edition of the report from the American Cancer Society (ACS), "Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Facts and Figures, 2014-2015," is accompanied by an article published online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (June 1, 2014).
Cancer incidence has been falling for 10 years, but longer survival times due to better treatments, along with greater numbers of diagnoses among aging Americans, means that the number of cancer survivors is growing, according to the researchers.
The three most common cancers among men with a cancer history are prostate (42%), colorectal (9%), and melanoma (8%), the group found. Among women in 2014, the three most common cancers are breast (41%), uterine (8%), and colorectal (8%). Cancer distribution is expected to remain largely unchanged by 2024.
Lung cancer is lower on the list due to its low survival rate. It is the eighth most common cancer among survivors, even though it is the largest cause of death from cancer.
Overall, most cancer survivors (64%) were diagnosed five or more years previously, and 15% were diagnosed 20 or more years ago, the researchers found. Approximately half (46%) of cancer survivors are 70 years or older, while only one in 20 (5%) is younger than 40.
Also, the age distribution of survivors is highly dependent on cancer type: For example, 62% of prostate cancer survivors are 70 years or older, but fewer than 32% of melanoma survivors are in that same age group.
