Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2016

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The number of cancer survivors is increasing due to improved treatments and an aging population.
• Serving this growing population requires understanding their numbers and needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the current and future number of cancer survivors in the United States.
• To describe the most prevalent cancer types, treatment patterns, and side effects.
• To highlight the need for improved resources for cancer survivorship care.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries.
• Analyzed data from the National Cancer Data Base for treatment patterns.
• Presented statistics on cancer survivor demographics and prevalent cancer types.

Main Results:

• Over 15.5 million Americans were cancer survivors as of January 1, 2016.
• This number is projected to exceed 20 million by January 1, 2026.
• The most prevalent cancers are prostate, breast, and colon/rectum; over half of survivors were diagnosed in the last 10 years, and nearly half are over 70.

Conclusions:

• Cancer survivors have unique medical and psychosocial needs requiring proactive management.
• Existing tools for survivorship care are insufficient.
• Further evidence-based resources are essential to optimize care for the growing number of cancer survivors.