Cancer survival rate rises over 20%

“The five-year relative survival rate for US cancer patients rose from 49 percent for patients diagnosed in 1975–1979 to 71 percent for those diagnosed in 2016–2022, according to a recent report from the American Association for Cancer Research. Relative survival adjusts for deaths from causes other than cancer by comparing patients with the general population,” notes Human Progress.

The AACR notes that “The steady decline in overall US cancer mortality is largely driven by…declines in lung cancer deaths….Declines in death rates for colorectal cancer (CRC) and female breast cancer over the past three decades have also played a key role in reducing the overall US cancer mortality rate.”

“Advances in precision medicine and immunotherapy have transformed the treatment landscape of several historically intractable cancers, including chronic myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma, melanoma, and kidney cancer…..Progress remains uneven across cancer types and stages of disease. These differences are evident in 5-year relative survival rates, which vary widely by cancer type and stage at diagnosis. For patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2022, the overall 5-year relative survival rate was 14 percent for pancreatic cancer and 7 percent for glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain cancer, compared to 92 percent for breast cancer and 98 percent for prostate cancer.”

A cancer vaccine for dogs doubles their survival rate for certain types of cancer.

A child recently was cured of a type of brain cancer that previously always killed kids who had it.

Scientists have developed tiny robots made of human cells to repair damaged cells. Nanorobots are also being used to fight cancer: “In a major advancement in nanomedicine, Arizona State University scientists…have successfully programmed nanorobots to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply.”

In other news, the FDA has approved a breakthrough drug to treat advanced pancreatic cancer. A cancer researcher recently home-brewed a beer that works as a vaccine.

The fact that a life-saving test is developed doesn’t mean it will be available to the public quickly. Many people die waiting for the FDA to approve medical tests and life-saving drugs. The FDA can be rather slow. The FDA didn’t approve a home test for HIV until 24 years after it first received an application. According to an FDA advisory committee, the test held “the potential to prevent the transmission of more than 4,000 new HIV infections in its first year of use alone.” That means thousands of people likely got infected with AIDS as a result of the delay in approving it.