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ACS ResearchYear in Review: Cancer Research Insights from 2019
Overall, the US cancer death rate is continuing to decrease, but there’s more to that story. Throughout 2019, the recurring themes of cancer research news included the link between obesity and cancer, increased rates of certain cancers in people younger than 50, and continued barriers to cancer care due to poverty, race, where people live, and other factors. Here are 10 of the stories that made headlines in 2019 based on the work of American Cancer Society (ACS) staff and funded researchers.
Financial Problems Can Affect Cancer Survivors for Years
“Research suggests that financial hardship can lead to worse health,” said Robin Yabroff, PhD, senior scientific director in health services research at the American Cancer Society. In this, Q&A, we asked her how people with cancer and their families develop financial problems and what can be done to help.
Researchers Set Goals for Improving Access to Cancer Care
Research has shown that improvements in cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and follow-up care help to reduce the number of people who die from cancer. “But all populations and communities don’t benefit because they don’t have equal access to these services,” said Robin Yabroff, PhD. To meet the needs of all people will require widespread changes in US healthcare , because breakdowns in care can happen at any point from prevention to the end of life, she said.
Report Outlines the Future Potential of Cancer Screenings
Cancer screening has helped saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But “millions of people in the US who should be screened aren’t getting screened, and millions who are being screened aren’t receiving the highest quality testing available,” said Robert A. Smith, PhD. Narrowing these gaps could allow screening to save even more lives.
Cancer Patients May Not Be Told About Costs of Genomic Testing
As of 2016, more than 200 targeted therapies (also called precision medicines) were available in the United States, and more than 2,000 were in the last stages of development—half of them to treat cancer. For many of these drugs, doctors first use genomic testing of the cancer cells to get an idea of whether the treatment will work. Yet, nearly 1 in 4 oncologists rarely or never mention costs when they talk about the need for genomic testing with their cancer patients, according to a new study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) investigators.
Report: Social Determinants Must Be Addressed to Advance Health Equity
Overall, the rate of people dying from cancer in the United States has been getting lower for about the last 25 years. That progress, though, hasn’t been equitable. Everyone doesn’t have the same access to the advances in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship. "We need to find solutions for better health where people live, work, and play, not only within the health care system,” said Kassandra Alcaraz, PhD, MPH. She's a co-author of a new report that addressed strategies to reduce these disparities.
Research to Help Women Prevent Breast Cancer or Live Their Best Life With It
These 3 scientists are contributing to research that may help families affected by breast cancer in the future. They're studying the most effective language to include in dense breast notifications after mammography, what makes a cancer cell that’s been dormant—not growing—suddenly reactivate, and the effectiveness of a program to help Latina breast cancer survivors overcome barriers to exercising regularly.
Expert Panel: Physical Activity Helps Prevent Cancer and May Help Cancer Survivors Live Longer
An expert panel on exercise and cancer found such strong evidence that physical activity can help some cancer survivors live longer that they created new exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. They also developed new programs to help ensure that healthcare and fitness professionals can use those guidelines to help make exercise a standard part of cancer treatment. The panel also found evidence that exercise can help prevent some cancers.
