MHA Press Room

Study: Breast cancer disparity not driven by receptor status

African-American women are more likely than white women to die from breast cancer, regardless of their estrogen receptor status, according to a new study by the National Cancer Institute. African-American women are more likely than white women to develop breast cancers that lack estrogen receptors, a factor that can make the cancer more aggressive and difficult to treat.

"We were surprised to discover that estrogen-receptor status only accounted for a portion of the disparity," said lead author Idan Menashe. Other reasons for the disparity remain unclear, but in part may reflect racial differences in access and response to innovative breast cancer treatments, the authors said.

Report: Nearly 1.5 million Americans to be diagnosed with cancer this year

An estimated 1,479,350 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and 562,340 will die from the disease in 2009, the American Cancer Society reported May 27. Among men, prostate cancer continues to be the most diagnosed cancer (25% of new diagnoses), while breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women (27% of new diagnoses). Still, more men and women are expected to die from lung cancer than any other form of the disease, 30% and 26% respectively.

In 2008, the U.S. spent an estimated $93.2 billion for medical care related to cancer, which also cost the nation $18.8 billion in lost productivity due to illness and another $116.1 billion due to premature death.

Report: Health insurance often fails to meet cancer patients’ needs

Cancer patients often find it difficult to find or maintain adequate and affordable health coverage, according to a report released Feb. 5 by the Kaiser Family Foundation and American Cancer Society. Accompanied by a video documentary, the report illustrates the health care cost and coverage problems people diagnosed with cancer can face based on a 20 typical calls to the society’s Health Insurance Assistance Service. According to KFF President and CEO Drew Altman, the patients’ stories show that “the insurance system often fails people when they need it most, when they get really sick.”

Report: Cancer declining in both men and women

For the first time ever, total cancer diagnoses and deaths are decreasing in both U.S. men and women, according to the latest annual report by the nation's leading cancer organizations. The overall cancer diagnoses, or incidence, rate decreased 0.8% per year from 1999 through 2005, largely due to declines in prostate, lung and colorectal cancer in men and breast and colorectal cancer in women. The cancer rate for men dropped 1.8% per year from 2001-2005 while the rate for women fell 0.6% per year from 1998-2005. In addition, the overall cancer death rate decreased from 1996-2005 for both men and women and nearly all racial and ethnic groups.

The report, in the Dec. 2 Journal of the National Cancer Institute, calls the trends “highly encouraging," adding that sustaining them will require continued improvements in prevention, early detection and treatment.

CDC reports on tobacco-related cancers

About 2.4 million tobacco-related cancers were diagnosed in the U.S. from 1999 to 2004, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lung and bronchial cancer accounted for almost half of those diagnoses.

“Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States and the most prominent cause of cancer,” said Matthew McKenna, M.D., director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “The tobacco-use epidemic causes a third of the cancers in America. If proven strategies were fully implemented to decrease tobacco use, much of the suffering and death that cancer inflicts on families and communities could be prevented.” The estimates are based on data from the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and Results Program.

CDC reports on cancer rates in American Indians, Alaska Natives

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Aug. 20 published several studies on cancer rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives in a supplement to the Sept. 1 edition of Cancer. The supplement’s 16 studies focus on disparities in health risk behaviors and cancer test use, variation in incidence rates by region, and methods for improving cancer surveillance.

Screening for colorectal cancer on rise

An estimated 61% of U.S. adults 50 and older were screened for colorectal cancer in 2006, up from 54% in 2002, according to a study released March 13 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, uninsured and low-income residents and racial and ethnic minority groups had lower screening rates than others.

“While we are encouraged to see an increase in colorectal cancer screening rates, certain groups are still not getting screened as recommended,” said lead author Djenaba Joseph, M.D., medical officer for CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. “We need to ensure that all adults have access to these life-saving tests because there is strong scientific evidence that screening can prevent colorectal cancer deaths.”

U.S. cancer deaths rose by 5,400 in 2005

U.S. cancer deaths rose by more than 5,000 in 2005, a somewhat disappointing reversal of a two-year downward trend, the American Cancer Society said in a report issued Feb. 20. 

The group counted 559,312 people who died from cancer.

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Uninsured patients more likely to present with advanced-stage cancer

Uninsured patients are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at an advanced stage than patients with private insurance, according to a new study by the American Cancer Society. The finding was particularly true for cancers that can be detected early by screening or evaluation of symptoms, the authors said.

Using the National Cancer Database, the study compared insurance status and cancer stage at diagnosis for more than 3.5 million patients diagnosed with any of 12 cancers between 1998 and 2004. For many cancers, the study found Medicaid patients and African-American patients also were significantly more likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage.

The authors said “simply providing health insurance without ensuring that this coverage is sufficient is unlikely to substantially increase the proportion of patients diagnosed at early stages.”

IOM: Cancer care should address patient’s psychosocial health

Cancer care providers should systematically screen patients for psychosocial distress and connect them with needed help, concludes a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Cancer patients’ psychosocial needs can range from information about their therapies and the potential side effects, to treatment for depression and assistance with daily activities, the authors say.

The report recommends an evidence-based model for ensuring that psychosocial health services are an integral part of cancer care, and offers strategies for implementing the model in settings with varying levels of resources.