Lower death rates from cancer is positive news for all of us, well most of us.
A new report shows we're seeing fewer people get sick or die from colon, lung and breast cancer these days, due to early detection and better treatments. Dr. Patrick Remington, with the UW Carbone Cancer Center, says the Report to the Nation contains both good news and bad news.
"The good news is that we're making some progress, the bad news is there's a lot more work to be done.
Remington says the challenge is to have everyone, including Native Americans and poor populations, benefit from the progress we're seeing overall.
"We're seeing increasing disparities in cancer rates among poor people, among African Americans and Native Americans."
The biggest improvement is the fight against colorectal cancer, which remains the nation's second cause of cancer death. But, with more early screening tests and better treatments, the death rate is decreasing faster than for other cancers. More work can be done, though, as only about half of those who should get checked actually do.
