Biotechnology Healthcare - June 2008 - (Page 20) AT A GLANCE Solid Tumors: Prevalence, Economics, And Implications for Payers and Purchasers Lola Butcher, Contributing Editor B y 2020, 18.2 million Americans — roughly 1 in 19 people — will be cancer patients or cancer survivors, up from 11.7 million (1 in 26) in 2005, according to the Journal of Oncology Practice (Erikson 2007). With more and better treatment options emerging at ever-higher costs, policymakers, health plans, and employers face difficult decisions about coverage, access, and cost sharing. EXTENT OF DISEASE Prevalence of disease Among the many types of cancer, four basic tumor sites — breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate — account for about 60 percent of all cancer cases in the United States. Leading sites of new cancer cases People diagnosed with the two most common cancers — breast cancer and prostate cancer — typically live for many years after diagnosis. For this reason, new incidence rates are much lower than prevalence rates. By gender (in thousands), 2004 estimates Women Men 12 585 213 556 199 2,156 2,325 1,853 By gender, 2007 estimates Men All other cancer sites 46% Breast Colorectal Lung Prostate Other cancers 2,427 Colorectal 10% 15% Lung Total of all cancer sites M: 766,850 W: 678,060 Women 29% Breast Prostate 47% 11% 27% Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures 2007 All other cancer sites 15% Colorectal Lung Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures 2007 Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. However, lung cancer prevalence is lower than some less common cancers, because people with lung cancer tend not to live as long after a diagnosis. Colorectal cancer is expected to account for 52,180 deaths — 10 percent of all cancer deaths — in the U.S. in 2007. Mortality rates from colorectal cancer have been declining for two decades, reflecting lower incidence rates and detection and treatment improvements. Incidence rates by cancer site, race, and ethnicity Incidence rates for breast cancer are highest in white populations, whereas rates for prostate cancer are, by far, highest in blacks. In general, Asians and Native Americans have a much lower incidence of solid tumors. White Black 130.8 111.5 91.2 74.4 92.6 Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native 104.2 70.7 141.1 110.6 156 56.2 50.3 28.7 33.8 26.7 Women Hispanic/Latino 88.8 243 Prostate (men) Per 100,000 people, 2003 70.2 52.6 52.7 52.4 63.7 53.5 38 41.9 37.3 45.9 Breast (women) Men Colorectal Women Men Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures 2007 About 33 percent of the 559,650 cancer deaths estimated for 2007 were related to being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, or poor nutrition. 20 BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE · MAY/JUNE 2008 56.6 55.5 52.7 Lung and bronchus
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